Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Many teens have difficulty with maintaining good behavior and relationships with their parents. For some teens, however, their problems with authority, behavior, anger and attitude go beyond “normal” adolescent angst and begin to interfere with their ability to function well in school and at home. Some may even land in trouble with the legal system. When behavior and defiance spiral out of control, the difficulty may be due to a condition called Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or “ODD”.Symptoms of the Disorder:
- A pattern of behavior lasting at least 6 months that includes 4 of the following:
- Often loses temper
- Often argues with adults
- Often actively defies rules
- Often deliberately annoys people
- Often blames others for mistakes or behavior
- Is often "touchy" or easily annoyed
- Is often angry and resentful
- Is often spiteful and vindictive
- These symptoms cause significant problems in school, home or work life
- These symptoms are not due to another disorder.
Parents of teens with ODD often feel frustrated, overwhelmed and have a sense that managing the behavior of their teen has become the dominant focus in their lives. A lack of progress is not a failure in parenting. Children experiencing these symptoms are often unaffected by the normal consequence and reward strategies typically used by parents and therapists. A behavior modification strategy often has to be quite creative to begin to help set therapeutic structure in the home.
