Has Your Child Been Behaving Aggressively And In A Defiant Way Lately? Beware! It Could Be ODD.Oppositional Defiant Disorder, a psychiatric disorder that is exemplified by two distinct set of problems, namely, aggressive behavior and a tendency to bother and irritate people on purpose, is mainly seen in children and adolescents. It is often associated with another disorder called ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. If these two disorders are present together in a child, he or she experiences depression, anxiety, and other neuro-psychiatric disorders. This makes life a lot more difficult for the child. Oppositional Defiant Disorder is identified by a pattern of argumentative, negative and rebellious behavior. It usually occurs for a minimum duration for six months at a stretch. During this period, a number of behavioral symptoms can be observed in the child such as losing temper frequently, unnecessary arguments, defying and refusing to comply with other's requests, blaming others for his or her mistakes, often too touchy, angry, resentful and vindictive personality. These behavioral disturbances results in momentous impairment in the academic, socials as well as occupational functioning. The defiant conduct interferes with the child's ability to function normally at home, school, or the community. Oppositional Defiant Disorder can be caused due to a number of causes like genetics, environment and medical problems also. The children often get this disorder from their mothers during pregnancy. For instance, if a mother smokes during pregnancy, the risk of the child suffering from ODD increases by 2-3 times. The first symptoms of this disorder usually appear between 1 to 3 years of age. The parent's conduct has a huge impact on the child's exposure to ODD. If a parent is alcoholic and has a hitch with the law, the child's threat of having ODD increases by almost three times more. Thus, conflict and anguish between the parents and other family members have been proved to lead to Oppositional Defiant Disorder. A large number of Oppositional Defiant Disorder studies have been carried out which emphasize the role of family interaction and socialization with the child in causing ODD. Though the causes behind Oppositional Defiant Disorder are not apparent, it is usually associated with Biological, genetic and medical factors. Besides these, a history of head trauma and Neurological abnormalities are also associated with its occurrence. For diagnosing Oppositional Defiant Disorder, similar methods are used that are used to detect other psychiatric disorder in children. The physician examines the child, talks to him and his parents, as well as reviews the medical history. Often, certain medicals tests are also carried out to eliminate the threat of other disorders. In most of the cases, an evidence-based approach is used that is accompanied by empirical support. In this approach, the focus is on parent training to use positive approach for increasing compliant attitude. Later, methods are used for extinguish non-obedient behavior. |