Oppositional Defiant Disorder - Causes, Symptoms, Treatment
Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) as a recurrent pattern of negativistic, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that persists for at least 6 months. Behaviors included in the definition include the following: 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; and being touchy, easily annoyed or angered, resentful, spiteful, or vindictive.Causes
It is not clear what causes Oppositional Defiant Disorder. There are currently two theories. The developmental theory suggests that the persistent is really a result of incomplete development. For some reason, these children never complete the developmental tasks that normal children master during the toddler years. They get stuck in the 2-3 year old stage of child defiance and never really grow out of it.
No one knows for certain. The usual pattern is for problems to begin between ages 1-3. If you think about it, a lot of these behaviors are normal at age 2, but in this disorder they never go away. It does run in families. 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.
Symptoms
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.
Diagnosis
As with adults, mental illnesses in children are diagnosed based on signs and symptoms that suggest a particular illness. If symptoms are present, the doctor will begin an evaluation by performing a complete medical history and physical examination. Although there are no laboratory tests to specifically diagnose ODD, the doctor may use various tests — such as X-rays and blood tests — to rule out physical illness or medication side effects as the cause of the symptoms. The doctor also will look for signs of other conditions that often occur along with ODD, such as ADHD and depression.
Treatment
There have been some recent studies that have examined the effects of certain medications on Oppositional Defiant Disorder. All the research is preliminary and just suggests that certain treatments may help. One study examined the use of Ritalin to treat children with both ADHD and ODD. This study found that 90% of the children treated with Ritalin no longer had the ODD by the end of the study.
There are a variety of approaches to the treatment of Oppositional Defiant Disorder, including parent training programs, individual psychotherapy, family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and social skills training. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, treatments for ODD are tailored specifically to the individual child, and different treatments are used for pre-schoolers and adolescents.
