In their educative and therapeutic approach of Difficult Adolescents, professionals have to deal with a clinic of violent acting in which there are obvious similarities with the signs and problems described in the syndrome E hypothesis (coexistence or alternation of callous insensitive behaviors and of normalized empathic conduct of solidarity, coexistence or alternation of non-compatible systems of values, socialization of psychological distress, ineffectiveness of classical social and therapeutic systems of cares etc...)

As Syndrome E individuals, these adolescents behaviors question the
possible underlying mental health pathology, the medical model behind the
diagnostic process to approach it, the consequence of such labelling on the moral and legal responsibility of the person involved in these violent behaviors, and the validity of the current nosographic references.

After a brief presentation of the issue and clinical approaches of Difficult Adolescents in social French legal juvenile systems, this presentation will discuss the utility of this clinical analogy to discuss the validity, the psychopathology and the physiopathology of the Syndrome E hypothesis.