Oppositional Defiant Disorder Definition

Do you have a kid?

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Parents want the best for their children and along with the laughs and giggles, there are also tantrums and attitudes. Parents need to know when it is best to seek help in certain situations where it is more than just tantrums and attitudes that can’t be helped by other authority figures. It is important that problematic child’s behavior problems are dealt with early on so they cannot create issues when many children grow up. Our personality as an adult is most often than not molded when we are young.

What is this disorder?  What is oppositional defiant disorder ODD?  Read further and learn more about ODD and how we can understand oppositional defiant disorder better.

Child’s Behavior Problems

Oppositional defiant disorder is one of the other mental health conditions characterized by aggressive and oppositional behavior toward authority figures that are classed as non-developmental, which means that kids do not typically display the said level of defiance. It generally appears in childhood, and if not taken care of, it may result in numerous mental health issues as the child grows up. It can also cause other health problems. However, don’t worry for your family or your child. There are treatment methods for it.

Understanding Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

As parent counseling professionals say, rebellion is a natural phase of children as they develop. In fact, this particular level of defiance characterizes adolescence. Furthermore, during the toddler stages of children, they go through a similar state of resistance also as they learn to explore their individuality and exert their own rules. Although these specific states are defined as defiance, they are both parts of growing up, and nothing a good and positive parenting style will solve.

However, if things get out of hand and the children start to define more as a discipline imposed by authority figures, oppositional defiant disorder may be in the picture. Defiant disorder (ODD) is more than just growing pains or your child getting easily annoyed. To be more specific, ODD is the defiance of children triggered by insignificant events or even nothing at all. Jeffrey Bernstein, PhD, explained, “[K]ids with ODD have oppositional attitudes and disruptive behaviors that are more of a persistent pattern than an exception to the rule.”

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) published by the American Psychiatric Association, behavior problem is diagnosed when aggressive and disruptive behavior persists for a majority of the days in 6 months for other children under the age of 5. For children older than 5, defiance must happen at least once a week in the six-month span.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder Symptoms and Signs

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To meet the criteria of oppositional defiant disorder, the behavior must be classified as developing odd behaviors for the child’s current age and corresponding developmental stage. It’s also important to know why tantrums happen. The reasons of toddler tantrums may not be of much concern, but an 8-year-old with the same behavior may indicate oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) — which turns it into a mental health problem.

More Specific ODD Risk Factors Or Child’s Symptoms Are:

  • Hostile, angry, and irritable mood
  • Refusal to listen to authoritative figures
  • Purposeful attempts to irritate others
  • Spiteful and vindictive behavior

Children with ODD often do not have any regard for the consequences of their behavior. In some cases of ODD, however, children with ODD may ask for forgiveness but revert to the old behavior.

The Causes

Oppositional defiant disorder is believed to be a result of environmental factors such as genetics or a chaotic environment; thus, no single factor is considered the leading cause of the disorder (ODD). In some cases, it can influence an ongoing pattern of other disorders such as mood, anxiety, conduct, and other mental health disorders

However, it must be noted that finding the cause of oppositional defiant disorder ODD may not be possible in some situations.

A chaotic environment is classified as a collection of specific scenarios which then lead to the development of oppositional defiant disorder. Ugo Uche,  LPC, wrote, “[I]n the absence of other clinical issues, a diagnosis of ODD is really a defense mechanism and coping strategy used by younger children and teens who have experienced a history of being betrayed by child’s parents or other adults (close family members included) in their lives to varying degrees.” Children with a history of abuse, neglect, or trauma are some of the things that may instill a negative response in the children thus producing this conduct disorder. Apart from that, harsh forms or inconsistent discipline may also be taken differently by children causing them to resent authorities or develop this conduct disorder.

Another concern would be attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Other reasons involve the parents of the child with the illness. For example, according to studies, children with ODD who have parents with mental health problems, such as substance abuse, ADHD, and mood disorders such as frequent outbursts are more likely to develop it, and the same goes for children of mothers who use drugs or alcohol during pregnancy.

ODD as a symptom is also being explored today with ODD being linked to underlying mental health problems such as ADHD, anxiety, and depression. It’s important to note that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may get passed on through genetics.

Therapy For ODD

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“The good news is that the vast majority of kids with disruptive behavior disorders have reactive aggression. They misinterpret environmental cues and react inappropriately. Psychiatry can help those kids,” said Daniel F. Connor, MD. Treating ODD by a qualified mental health professional is very important for the child’s future development. It is a known fact that oppositional defiant disorder may result in various consequences in the future and addressing it in its early stages is critical. Your child’s relationships with other people in his or her life, such as teachers and the child’s care team provider or mental health provider will also benefit from early treatment.

The first step to treating ODD through therapy is to find the possible triggers and multiple causes of the illness. After then, the treatment plan can now be developed with a mix of conduct disorder techniques such as anger management methods for individual therapy. More specific techniques are goal setting, cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation therapy, trigger identification, and more.

Family therapy can also be employed to create a more suitable environment for the early treatment of the child’s ODD. Furthermore, subjecting the family to treatment can also give them better control of the situation. It can also help to identify any possible attention deficit disorders in the family tree.

Parent management programs are also a great help for parents. The sessions will teach parents how to cope with and manage ODD children. BetterHelp may be able to assist on that matter.

while there is no medication formally approved, medications ranging from antidepressants to stimulants can also be prescribed to address three or more settings of the emotional and behavioral symptoms only as no single pill will cure ODD.

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