OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER: Taking Rebellion and Defiance Too Far

By: Heidi L. Fretheim, BA, MACC

Most parents experience excitement at the birth of their child.

However, parenting comes with much responsibility when it comes to

nurturing, raising, and guiding the child to behave and to stay on the

right path in life. There is no manual distributed that says if you do this

action when it comes to your child that this will be the result. This is

because parents are dealing with human beings who are all different

and things that work with one child may not work with another.

Parents experience times with their children when behavior is

difficult to manage, and many would describe their child as rebellious

during those times. Parenting can result in a power struggle and

children are gifted at testing limits. Flash ahead in your child’s life to

around 8 years old and this rebellious behavior has increased and your

child’s acting out behavior is now causing issues at school, home and in

the community and this is the story of the parent raising a child with

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).

Cleveland Clinic defines “Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) as a

behavior condition in which your child displays a continuing pattern of

uncooperative, defiant, and sometimes hostile behavior towards

people in authority”. Symptoms last more than six months to be

diagnosed with ODD. A child with ODD has symptoms of anger such as

a short temper, easily annoyed with others, frequent anger outburst

with resentment or being disrespectful. Symptoms of defiant or

argumentative behavior such as excessive arguing, blaming others for

their own mistakes, deliberate acts to annoy or upset others, or refusal

to comply with requests or rules will also be present. The third

category of symptoms are vindictiveness such as saying mean and

hateful things when angry, being spiteful, and seeking revenge on

others.

Treatment for ODD usually consists of a combination of Parent

Management Training, Talk Therapy, and school-based intervention.

The child may need an Individualized education program (IEP), seat

location close to teacher to reduce distractions, frequent breaks,

praising of good behavior, and more time to complete assignments.

There is not any medication to treat a child with ODD, but it should be

noted that many children who have ODD may also be on medication to

address another mental health disorder such as ADHD, depression,

anxiety, or OCD. ODD if left untreated can damage or sever the parent

child-bond. Stop the Pattern:

Northwest Behavioral Health Services

2392 N. Edgewood Avenue

Jacksonville, Florida 32254

904-781-7797