Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or ODD, is a behavior disorder. It is defined by the presence of markedly defiant, disobedient, provocative behaviour and by the absence of more severe dissocial or aggressive acts that violate the law or the rights of others.

ODD is a psychiatric disorder that is characterized by two different sets of problems. These are aggressiveness and a tendency to purposefully bother and irritate others. It is often the reason that people seek treatment. When ODD is present with ADHD, depression, tourette's, anxiety disorders, or other neuropsychiatric disorders, it makes life with that child far more difficult.

The disturbance in behavior causes clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning.

ODD is usually diagnosed when a child has a persistent or consistent pattern of disobedience and hostility toward parents, teachers, or other adults. The primary behavioral difficulty is the consistent pattern of refusing to follow commands or requests by adults. Children with ODD are often easily annoyed; they repeatedly lose their temper, argue with adults, refuse to comply with rules and directions, and blame others for their mistakes. Stubbornness and testing limits are common, even in early childhood.

What are the causes of Oppositional Defiant Disorder?

Some experts estimate that 5 percent to 15 percent of children have ODD. The cause isn't known. A child with ODD symptoms should be evaluated by a psychiatrist or psychologist with special training in the problems of childhood and adolescence. If a parent is alcoholic and has been in trouble with the law, their children are almost three times as likely to have ODD. That is, 18% of children will have ODD if the parents are alcoholic and the father has been in trouble with the law.

Oppositional defiant disorder may be related to - the child's temperament and the family's response to that temperament, an inherited predisposition to the disorder in some families, a neurological cause, like a head injury, a chemical imbalance in the brain (especially with the brain chemical serotonin).

What are the symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder?

Diagnosis depends on symptoms lasting for at least six months. Oppositional Defiant Disorder is a pattern of negativistic, hostile, and defiant behavior lasting at least six months, during which four (or more) of the following are present:

1. Often deliberately annoys people.
2. Often loses temper.
3. Is often touchy or easily annoyed by others.
4. Often argues with adults.
5. Is often spiteful or vindictive.
6. Often actively defies or refuses to comply with adults' requests or rules.
7. Often blames others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior.
8. Is often angry and resentful.

Associated Features

• Learning Problem
• Depressed Mood
• Hyperactivity
• Addiction
• Dramatic or Erratic or Antisocial Personality

Teach your child how to avoid problems and how to deal with situations, activities, and people that make him angry.

Call the doctor immediately if your child says he might hurt himself or hurt others or if you think you might hurt your child.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder - Overview

Oppositional Defiant Disorder Treatment

Medication for Oppositional Defiant Disorder

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