Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Children will inevitably be defiant with their parents, teachers, and other individuals in authority from time to time; however, when children become excessively defiant they may be suffering from a behavior disorder known as Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

Children with oppositional defiant disorder display annoying, defiant, hostile, and uncooperative behavior toward authority figures for at least six months. Children display very specific behaviors when they suffer from oppositional defiant disorder, which include refusing to comply with others' rules or requests, often deliberately irritating others, become angry with adults, loses temper often, is vindictive or spiteful, is often angry or resentful, and is easily irritated.

The cause of oppositional defiant disorder is not currently known; however, there are two main theories that try to explain the condition's cause. First, learning theory hypothesizes that negative reinforcement of the child's behavior leads to the child engaging in more negative behavior. Negative reinforcement encourages behavior when a negative consequence is stopped or avoided. For instance, a child who talks back to his parents may be punished; however, if his parents do not pay attention to him much, the time the parents take to punish and talk with the child may actually increase the amount of negative behavior the child exhibits. The child is essentially avoiding being ignored by his parents when he is defiant.

Developmental theory suggests that oppositional defiant disorder is a result of children not being able to detach from their primary attachment figure (usually a parent) and difficulty developing autonomous behavior.

Treatment for oppositional defiant disorder depends on factors such as a child's age, the child's tolerance for specific therapies or medications, the child's symptoms, the child's medical history and current physical health, and the expectation for the course of the condition.