Oppositional Defiant Disorder Research Paper

A child may yell, scream, and cry when they a parent tells him or her to do something that he or she may not want to do, although it may seem like “normal” child-like behavior or stubbornness, they may be developing a mental disorder called Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Oppositional Defiant Disorder, also known as ODD, consists of behavior patterns with uncooperative, defiant and hostile behavior toward authority figures that occurs more than the average person. (Turgay). A person who suffers from this disorder disobeys people in authority, such as parents and teachers, using anger, vindictiveness, and rude behaviors as a way to gain control. ODD is often found in males more than females, “ranging from 2:1 to 8:1” (Kersten), during the early …show more content…
According to the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria to have ODD one must have recurring negativistic, defiant, disobedient and hostile behaviour toward authority figures that persists for at least six month with four of the eight following symptoms: often loses temper, argues with adults, defies or refuses to comply with adult's requests or rules, deliberately annoys people, blames others for one's mistakes, touchy or easily annoyed, angry and resentful, and being spiteful or vindictive, and must be more intense than a normal person. Not to forget one must also have another mental disorder present to have ODD …show more content…
The development of ODD usually begins in preschool years that progress into the adolescent years with a child's home environment and parents having a huge effect on the intensity of the symptoms (Zieman). Factors that contribute to the development include abuse and harsh punishment, failure to follow through with punishment and bouncing to different schools, home or living situations often (Mayo Clinic Staff ). Abuse and harsh punishment teaches the child that using anger is a way to people to do what they want. Also, it leads the child to have a difficulty trusting people of authority and seek ways to control his/her own life due to the fact that can not even trust some of the most important people is a human's life, their parents, therefore they decide to trust no one. Failure to follow through with punishment teaches the child that what they are doing wrong is okay because they are able to get away with it and then when someone who has authority steps in it is a new concept for the child because someone else is trying to control them while he/she is used being the one in control and they throw a tantrum or disobey the authority figures request. Ultimately having an instability in the child's home can lead the child want to find ways to control their lives for themselves and have trust issues in