Oppositional Defiant Disorder
What is it?
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is an ongoing pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that seriously affects the child’s or adolescent’s social, family, and academic life. Children and adolescents with ODD generally have poor peer relationships. Five to fifteen percent of all school‑age children have ODD. The causes of ODD are unknown, but many parents report that their child with ODD was more rigid and demanding than the child’s siblings from an early age. Biological and environmental factors may have a role. It is important to look for other disorders which may be present, such as attention‑deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).
What does it look like?
Symptoms of ODD may include:
- arguing with adults
- active defiance and refusal to comply with adult requests and rules
- deliberate attempts to annoy or upset people
- blaming others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior
- easily annoyed by others
- frequent anger and resentment
- mean and hateful talking when upset
- seeking revenge
- frequent temper tantrums
How is it treated?
Parents may ask their pediatrician or family physician to refer them to a mental health professional that can diagnose and treat ODD and any coexisting psychiatric condition.
Treatment of ODD may include:
- a comprehensive psychological evaluation
- parent training programs to help manage the child’s behavior
- family therapy to improve communication
- social skills training to increase flexibility and improve frustration tolerance with peers
- individual therapy to develop more effective anger management and problem solving skills and decrease negativity
For More Information:
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
www.aacap.org
Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH)
165 Western Avenue N, Suite 2, St. Paul, MN 55102
www.macmh.org
SAMHSA National Mental Health Information Center
www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov