Introduction:
Nobody likes it when a kid is rebellious; still, little importance is given to understanding the cause of the child's annoying behavior. A rebellious, disobedient kid who unnecessarily pulls stunts could suffer from an oppositional defiant disorder. Parents are usually clueless about the reason for the misbehavior and even punish them for it, which aggravates the condition further. Some kids stay rebellious even through their adolescence.
What Is Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
A condition in which children show continuous negative behavioral alterations, such as being uncooperative, angry, cranky, disobedient, etc., is called an oppositional defiant disorder. These tantrums usually develop when the child starts preschool and continue for a longer term. This behavioral alteration usually affects the child's personal relationships and performances at school, which disrupts their childhood. Sometimes, this behavior is directed only at a particular person or peeks out at a specific environment. These kids show increased chances of depression, drug addiction, and anger issues as adolescents.
What Are the Causes of Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
Nothing specific can be framed as the cause of oppositional defiant disorder. It might be due to certain biological, environmental, genetic factors, or a combination of these.
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Research shows that oppositional defiant disorder can result from injuries or inborn damages to specific brain cells or neurotransmitters (cells used by the nervous system to transmit messages between neurons.
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Genetics plays a significant role in the cause of this disorder. Children whose parents have mental illnesses, anxiety disorders, anger issues, etc., are prone to inherit oppositional defiant disorder.
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Environmental influences such as parents sharing an unhealthy relationship, exposure to constant fights at home, lack of discipline by the parents, physical or emotional abuse, abusive parenting, etc., can cause this disorder.
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When they see someone else experiencing love, children who yearn for love and affection react in an abusive way.
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Some kids throw such tantrums in the hope of seeking attention. Such instances occur in children who lack parental care and attention.
What Are the Risk Factors for Developing Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
Children exposed to the following situations are at a higher risk of developing oppositional defiant disorder;
- A history of child abuse or neglect.
- A parent or caregiver with a mood disorder or substance and alcohol use disorder.
- Exposure to violence.
- Inconsistent discipline and lack of adult supervision.
- Instability in the child's family, such as divorce, moving to different houses often, and changing schools frequently.
- Financial issues in the family.
- Parents who have or have had ODD, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or behavioral problems.
What Are the Symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
The onset of these symptoms occurs as the kid enters preschool. The most common signs that a child with oppositional defiant disorder presents include;
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Disrespectful behavior.
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Constant anger.
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Getting annoyed easily.
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Talking back to people in higher authority, including parents, teachers, caregivers, etc.
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Arguing frequently.
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Exerting certain behaviors that irritate others easily, like questioning everything the other person says, constant disagreement, etc.
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Constant blaming and resentful behavior.
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Refusing requests abruptly.
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Not giving a thought before hurting others verbally or physically.
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Sudden emotional outbursts.
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Poor performance in academics.
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Isolating themselves from the crowd, sometimes even from the family members.
When these symptoms follow the children to adolescence, they find difficulty maintaining friendships, relationships, jobs, etc. They lash out at others without a second thought when frustrated.
How to Rule Out Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
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The diagnosis of oppositional defiant disorder is symptom-oriented. When questioned about the behavior, the child is likely to blame others and provide irrelevant reasons to justify the act.
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Parents should keep track of the symptoms and the factors triggering the kid to behave defiantly. When the symptoms are frequent and occur for a more extended period, parents should take them to a pediatrician or a psychiatrist for professional help.
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Although there is no specific test to rule out this condition, blood tests are performed to rule out any underlying diseases that could be a trigger.
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When there is no underlying health trigger for this condition, lack of stability in mental health is considered. Psychiatrists record a detailed history by various assessment tools and diagnose the condition.
Psychiatrists classify the severity of oppositional defiant disorder based on the incidence of symptoms;
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Mild symptoms happen in any one of the settings like home, with friends or a particular person, school, etc.
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Moderate symptoms involve a minimum of two settings.
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The symptoms are considered severe when they involve three or more settings.
How Is Oppositional Defiant Disorder Treated?
The treatment of an oppositional defiant disorder is completely non-pharmacological and involves behavioral shaping as the primary mode. Behavior alterations involve the effort of the caregivers and parents despite giving therapy.
Parents should follow at-home management methods initially, which include;
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Complimenting them for the positive things they do.
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Engaging them in activities they enjoy.
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Spending quality time with the child.
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Patience is seeing results, as the possibility of seeing a change overnight is nil.
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Refraining from comparison with other children of the same age.
Psychiatrists usually recommend therapy sessions to the child and the parents.
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Psychotherapy improves the child's problem handling and solving skills, anger management, and response to an external trigger.
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Parent management therapy guides the parents if they contribute a reason to the child's behavior and teaches them to handle the child in a friendly and peaceful way.
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There is no specific medication to treat oppositional defiant disorder; in some instances, medications are given to minimize the intensity of the symptoms.
What Are the Complications Associated With Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
Children suffering from the oppositional defiant disorder have higher chances of suffering from depression, anxiety, conduct disorder (antisocial behavior), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior), learning disorders, etc. Some may also develop addictions to drugs.
Is It Possible to Prevent Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
Unfortunately, it is impossible to prevent or cure this disorder entirely. Identifying the disease at the initial stage offers better results in regulating the symptoms. The occurrence rate and symptom intensity are minimized by providing the child with proper care and support.
Conclusion:
Although a perfect treatment does not exist for an oppositional defiant disorder, its symptoms can be narrowed down and kept in check by identifying it early. Often the rebellious and disobedient kids are punished rather than being understood and helped overcome such behaviors. If your child shows similar symptoms, I hope you know what to do now as a parent.
