Oppositional Defiant Disorder by Anthony Kane, MD

Oppositional Defiant Disorder

by Anthony Kane, MD

Introduction

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a psychiatric behavior disorder that is characterized by aggressiveness and a tendency

to purposefully bother and irritate others. These behaviors cause significant difficulties with family and friends and at

school or work.

Oppositional defiant disorder is sometimes a precursor of conduct disorder. Much of the literature tends to lump these two

conditions together. However, they seem to be distinct entities and, although conduct disorder does have a genetic component, ODD does not.

Description

Oppositional defiant children show a consistent pattern of refusing to follow commands or requests by adults. These children repeatedly lose their temper, argue with adults, and refuse to comply with rules and directions. They are easily

annoyed and blame others for their mistakes. Children with ODD show a pattern of stubbornness and frequently test limits, even in early childhood.

These children can be manipulative and often induce discord in those around them. Commonly they can incite parents and other

family members to fight with one and other rather than focus on the child, who is the source of the problem.

Behavioral Symptoms

Common behaviors seen in oppositional defiant disorder include:

Losing one’s temper

Arguing with adults

Actively defying requests

Refusing to follow rules

Deliberately annoying other people

Blaming others for one's own mistakes or misbehavior

Being touchy, easily annoyed

Being easily angered, resentful, spiteful, or vindictive.

Speaking harshly, or unkind when upset

Seeking revenge

Having frequent temper tantrums

Many parents report that their ODD children were rigid and demanding from an early age.

Normal children, especially around the ages or 2 or 3 or during the teenage years display most of these behaviors from time to time. When children are tired, hungry, or upset, they may be defiant. However, children with oppositional defiant disorder display these behaviors more frequently and to the extent that they and interfere with learning, school adjustment, and, sometimes, with the child's social relationships.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of ODD is not always straight forward and needs to be made by a psychiatrist or some other qualified mental

health professional after a comprehensive evaluation. The child must be evaluated for other disorders as well since ODD usually does not come alone. If the child has ADHD, mood disorders, or anxiety disorders, these other problems must be addressed before you can begin to work with the ODD.

If you feel your child may have ODD, there is a quick screening test. Go to:

http://addadhdadvances.com/ODDtest.html

Causes

What is the cause of ODD? The real answer is that nobody knows. However, since as scientist we hate to admit this, we have currently have two theories.

The developmental theory proposes that ODD is really a result of incomplete child development. For some reason, these

children never complete the developmental tasks that normal children learn to master during the toddler years.

The learning theory suggests that ODD comes as a response to negative interactions. The techniques used by parents and

authority figures on these children bring about the oppositional defiant behavior.

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BIO:

Anthony Kane, MD is a physician and international lecturer.
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