Boys with ODD tend to be more physically aggressive and have explosions of anger while girls often lie, refuse to cooperate, and otherwise express symptoms in indirect ways. The symptoms of ODD may look different for girls and boys, in whom the condition is more common. The ODD-diagnosed child is not merely an argumentative or difficult child he or she is vindictive, rageful and deliberately antagonistic. And he may seem to feel most comfortable in the midst of a conflict, which is upsetting and exhausting for everyone involved - even the child himself. He will engage in angry, violent, and disruptive conduct directed at the adults in his life - parents, teacher, physicians, and other authority figures. Worried your child or teenager may have ODD?Īn oppositional, defiant child will often lose his temper, argue with adults, actively defy requests or rules set by adults, deliberately annoy people, and blame others for misbehavior. Treatment for ODD typically involves a combination of psychotherapy and medication. ODD may begin in childhood or adolescence and may progress into conduct disorder if left untreated. In fact, 4 out of every 10 children with ADHD also show signs of ODD.

ODD impacts between 1 and 16 percent of children and adolescents in the general population, but is far more common among patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD). ODD may be diagnosed if this behavior lasts 6 months or longer. Children with ODD are frequently irritable, argumentative, and disobedient. Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a childhood behavior disorder defined by a persistent pattern of hostile, vindictive, and defiant behavior toward authority figures.

Odd & True by Cat Winters