OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER (ODD)

What is Oppositional Defiant Disorder?

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a behavior disorder that is usually diagnosed in children. Many children can behave in a difficult and irritable way sometimes. When this angry, moody, defiant, and disobedient behavior is excessive and persistent towards others, it is defined as oppositional defiant disorder. Many studies have shown that ODD is more prevalent in boys than girls, but this could be because girls' aggression is primarily less visible. 

Symptoms 

Individuals with oppositional defiant disorder experience many different emotional and behavioral symptoms. Some of these symptoms might be that the individual easily loses their temper, is annoyed by others, or might purposely annoy someone, is angry and resentful, argues with various adults or authority figures, and refuses to comply with the rules. When the individual acts in this manner, they usually blame others for their mistakes instead of recognizing their own. While these are some ways an individual with ODD might act, symptoms vary in their severity. For example, someone with ODD who experiences mild symptoms might only act in one place. This might mean the individual only acts out at home, only at school, or only at work. Someone with moderate symptoms would act out in at least two settings. Maybe this means that the individual acts out only at school and soccer practice. Lastly, someone with severe symptoms would act out in three or more settings. This might mean that the setting does not matter, and the individual almost always acts in a defiant manner; or it could mean that the individual acts out with large groups of people, meaning more than three places. Diagnosing an individual with oppositional defiant disorder can sometimes be difficult, because many children experience some of these symptoms at some point in their life. In order to diagnose an individual, a medical professional needs to do a psychological exam. This exam would determine the person’s mental and physical health, family history, and the frequency and intensity of symptoms. 

Treatment

Treatment for an individual with oppositional defiant disorder involves a family based intervention. One way this is done is through parent training. This is when a mental health professional would provide the parent with a few new parenting tips and skills that may work better for both them and their child. Sometimes the child is involved in this process, but they are not always. Another intervention is parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT). This is when the therapist observes an interaction between the parent and the child. While this interaction is going on, they will coach the parent with an audio device that the child is unaware of. The idea with this is that the parent can learn new techniques and practice them simultaneously, and then see how the child reacts. Another form of treatment for an individual with ODD is individual and family therapy. Individual therapy helps the child with ODD learn to cope with their anger in a more healthy way. Family therapy is a way to help the family gain knowledge of this disorder and be able to communicate and work with the individual in a more effective way. Specifically for the individual’s treatment, some options are cognitive problem-solving training and social skills training. Cognitive problem-solving training training is helpful for the individual to refine their thought process so that their behaviors are different from their current defiant behaviors. Social skills training is beneficial for the individual to learn how to communicate more effectively, so that their interactions with other children and adults is more positive.