Do you have disobedient and aggressive children? They may be suffering from this disorder

Beware! Those bouts of anger, use of abusive language and irritability in your child may be a symptom of a larger disorder.

Ritika Sharma,13 (name changed) was always a stubborn kid. When she expressed her desire to get a pet at home, her mother wasn't very keen. Ritika was told that her grandmother is scared of dogs and hence can't have one at home. However, this wasn't something that she was pleased to know. As a knee-jerk reaction, Ritika started abusing her grandmother.

This is, of course, not a commonly seen scenario. Kids can be a little difficult to handle but aggression of this kind wasn't something to be quiet about. Later, when she was brought to a psychiatrist, it was revealed that she suffered from oppositional defiant disorder.

What is an Oppositional defiant disorder?

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a psychological disorder that is observed in children. Being disobedient, obstinate and aggressive behavior are signs of this disorder but they will differ from child to child. "It is difficult to tackle them and keep these kids happy during their growing years, " said Neha Dutt, Counseling Psychologist, Dharamshila Narayana superspeciality hospital.

Symptoms of ODD:

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association, lists criteria for diagnosing ODD. The DSM-5 criteria includes emotional and behavioral symptoms that last at least six months or more:

1. Angry and irritable mood
2. Short temper
3. Is frequently touchy
4. Easily annoyed by others
5. Resentful
6. Argumentative and defiant behavior: Often argues with adults or people in authority
7. Often actively defies or refuses to comply with adult's requests or rules
8. Often deliberately annoys or upsets people
9. Often blames others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior
10. Vindictiveness: Is often spiteful or vindictive as shown spiteful or vindictive behavior at least twice in the past six months.

"The symptoms of the disorder may vary from people to people. In case of mild ODD, symptoms occur only in one setting, such as only at home, school, work or with peers. In case of moderate ODD, some symptoms occur in at least two settings. In case of severe ODD, some symptoms occur in three or more settings. For some children, symptoms may first be seen only at home, but with time extend to other settings, such as school and with friends," added Dutt.

It may be caused because of the environmental factors or may be genetic in nature. These may include harsh behavior of parents, being abused, neglected etc.

Is there are treatment?

"Treatment in ODD is by behaviour therapy in which parents are counselled. We ask the parents to stay firm on their decision without beating or scolding the child. We ask the parents to not get affected by the tantrums of the child. However reinforcing positive behaviour is important," said Dr Sagar Karia, secretary of Bombay Psychiatric Society.

Some facts about ODD that you must know

• ODD is very common among teenagers. "It is observed that two- thirds of children develops this disorder and this might become problematic if not treated on time," added Dutt.
• ODD is a behavioral disorder that results in defiance and anger against authority. It can affect a person's work, school, and social life.
• "ODD affects between 1 and 16 percent of school age children. It's more common in boys than girls," said Dutt.
• Many children start to show symptoms of ODD between the ages of 6 and 8 years.
• ODD also occurs in adults. But that isn't an easy thing to diagnose.

Does it indicate any other underlying mental condition?

According to Dutt, other disorders that might overlap with ODD are:

• Depression
• Anxiety issues
• Language disorders
• ADHD
• Learning disorders
• Mood disorders

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