It is a common experience to see the most well-behaved and well-mannered children challenge authority, take a stubborn stance and throw temper tantrums during developmental stages. Teenagers may become argumentative, and disobedient, exhibiting both verbal and physical hostility as they challenge rules and authority. Most teenagers may justify their inappropriate behavior, aggression and hostility as a response to difficult circumstances and hormonal changes, however, it can be quite challenging for parents to handle children with ODD. ODD is among one of the most commonly diagnosed teen mental health conditions.

Causes of ODD

There are certain factors that may combine to cause ODD or make one more prone to the development of this disorder.

These may include the following:

Genetic: Children in families where parents have suffered from ODD or experienced drug abuse, depression or other mental health disorders, are more prone to developing ODD.

Physical: Anomalies or differences in areas of the brain responsible for judgment, impulse control or chemical imbalance may cause ODD.

Environment: An abusive or violent environment, lack of parental support, disharmonious family life, parental divorce, or financial problems.

Psychological: Natural disposition of a teenager, such as aggressive or argumentative nature, or overall difficulty to recognize social cues and be self-aware.

Symptoms of ODD

Behavior symptoms: Teens may disobey, annoy, blame others for their own mistakes, exhibit a short temper, speak aggressively and rudely, be vindictive, challenge rules, and argue with those in positions of authority.

Psychosocial Symptoms: The teen may have low self-confidence, experience bouts of anger, present a negative attitude and behavior, and have trouble maintaining friendships or other close relationships.

Effects & Treatment

Failure to identify ODD symptoms and neglecting to treat this disorder may cause anxiety, frustration and stress to the teenager and his/her parents and family. The long-term effects of ODD can include difficulties at school and may result in a child being suspended. One may also turn to drug/alcohol abuse, develop anti-social tendencies, and have difficulty maintaining friendships and relationships for the long-term.

Co-occurring Disorders

Frequently, other mental health disorders will occur in conjunction with ODD, such as, anxiety, and learning and mood disorders. As a result, ODD is more difficult to isolate and treat. Mental health professional will attempt to accurately isolate and diagnose each disorder and treat them each individually but simultaneously to prevent symptoms worsening.

Treatment Of ODD

Medication: The use of medications along with other therapeutic modalities helps to control the severity of the ODD symptoms, to allow the therapy to be most effective. After some time, when symptoms are controlled and balanced, medication may be discontinued by the mental health professional.

Individual therapy: One on one sessions of talk therapy (usually on a weekly basis) helps the teen to adopt alternate methods to handle behavior and emotions during stressful situations, and allow for positive responses.

Group therapy: Group sessions are helpful to provide a safe space for objective feedback and allow for robust discussions and innovative problem solving solutions. Benefits of group feedback and discussion cannot always be achieved in individual sessions.

Family therapy: The importance of family involvement in treating ODD is a key factor and cannot be overlooked. Family sessions help to develop mutual understandings and sharing to ultimately adopt constructive techniques within family dynamics.

Treatment at Hillcrest

HIllcrest is a beautiful residential rehabilitation facility, where patients are treated for mental health disorders including ODD. Employing the key principles of mind-body health, Hillcrest caters to each individual client’s physical, emotional, mental, psychological and nutritional needs. In a multi-faceted healing environment, with a professional staff that is committed to the rehabilitation of your loved one, the road to recovery is a reality at Hillcrest.