Oppositional defiant disorder: Taking Rebellion and Defiance Too Far

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 will tell you what to do to obtain a set 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 to the point that your child’s acting out behavior is now causing issues at school, home and in the community, that 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 no 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

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