Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD)
That which does not kill us, strengthens us.
- What is Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD)?
- In my words, it's when a child cannot seem to control his anger or frustration, even over what seems simple or trivial to others. He (or she) will often react in negative or violent ways to his own feelings.
- How does the doctor know it's Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD)?
- The doctor will refer the patient to a psychiatrist who finds out if the child frequently shows four or more of the following behaviors or signs of the disorder:
- Arguing with adults.
- Losing temper.
- Angry or resenful of others.
- Actively defies adults requests or rules.
- Negative attitude.
- Blames others for their own mistakes or misbehavior.
- Seems touchy or easily annoyed by others.
- Deliberately annoys others.
- Acts spiteful or vindictive.
- What can be done to treat Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD)?
- Patients are usually placed in therapy with a psychologist or liscenced clinical social worker. The parents (or guardians) are taught how to react better to the childs difficult behavior. This is called behavior modification therapy. Beyond this not much can be done for children directly.
An older child will sometimes need to be sent to a special school for a year or two if the behavior doesn't improve or gets worse.
Medication is only given if the child has some other difficulty along with the ODD. Some of these expected problems are: depression, hyperactivity, addictions, compulsiveness, and an extreme anti-social personality.
Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) can be done at the schools to offer special programs when learning problems are present also.
