Oppositional Defiant Disorder: The Disorder That Makes You Defy Authority 

Beware of self-diagnosis. When I asked my mother questions as a child, she viewed it as me challenging authority. The truth was that I was asking questions because I wanted to learn.

I was diagnosed with odd as a child, recieved therapy for it (horrible therapy but still). And it's really interesting to see all the parents and professionals on here complaining about the behavior. I think more people need to understand that while we do enjoy getting a rise out of others, the aftermath is not fun nor desireable. And the time leading up to it is also not fun or enjoyable. I grew up with a lack of emotional guidance because nobody wanted to deal with the very strong feelings I had, so they'd just sit me in a corner and hoped I'd sort myself out. Children who are not taught emotional regulation or self soothing techniques will not automatically aquire those skills with age. I was subjected to harsh disipline, and well, my behavior has only slightly improved and I plan to never speak to my parents again after graduation. As a 17 year old, I am begging parents and therapists and educators to please not give up on their children. Giving up on them will only cement them to a dark future. Use disipline with compassion. Give reasoning for rules and explain when necessary. We are not all destined to grow up to be sociopaths or narcissists. I'm open to any further discussion.

My son showed signs of it at age 2. He was diagnosed at 5 or 6. He is 20 now, and has not grown out of it, but he is NOT a monster thank GOD❤😊. Raising him was the most difficult task I will ever have to do in my lifetime.

As a former teacher, I can tell you that when you get a student like this-you are completely and utterly worn out and often end up in tears. It feels like there’s no “real help” from any school program since those with it don’t qualify as “emotionally disturbed.” These are kids who destroy the classroom (causing the rest of the class to evacuate so admin can intervene), argue with the teacher about just about every single thing, and bully other kids. Parents seem to have fewer problems than teachers because they are one on one with the child, versus a teacher who has 21 other students whose needs she is trying to meet. Parents can give these kids a time out in a SEPARATE room but teachers really can’t do that because we can’t leave a child unattended. They can go to the office to be in a separate space but that is a tough situation as well. Schools need to have more support for kids who struggle with this on every single campus. Children with ODD would definitely benefit from a smaller class size with more adult support. They have big emotions and don’t know how to process them so having someone trained in behavioral disorders needs to be teaching that class. It seems that being in a gen ed class all day with 21 other personalities and a teacher is very triggering for a child with ODD.

I worked with a 6 years old boy with this. The only thing that finally helped was to give him control, within reason of course, and let him suffer the consequences. It was really rough for his parents and us teachers at first but the kid finally figured it out. The hardest part was that this child was really smart and could come up with some very convincing lies to avoid taking responsibility for his actions. I remember how hurt and embarrassed his parents were when we showed proof from the playground security cameras that he was at fault. He is older now and doing much better❤

I've been diagnosed with ODD since I was 12, I'm 37, I've spent nearly a decade in prison, this is a very real disorder!

It took years before anyone would take me seriously and actually examine my son, but finally he was diagnosed with ODD. I would explain everything very carefully, to the point of tears, but the doctors just made me feel like I don't know how to parent, despite the fact that my other kids weren't having those issues. When they explained what it was and how it worked, everything made sense.

As a former sp.ed. teacher, ODD or CD was one of the worst diagnosis of kid's I worked with. The level and intensity of the outbursts, violence, lies and aggression was draining. It felt like you were always walking into an MMA match EVERY SINGLE DAY for no reason at all. Those students ENJOY conflict and confrontation, and almost NEED IT to be happy. It was very sad and seemed like a path to sociopathy. 💔🤯🤦

My daughter was diagnosed with ODD/ADHD and finally Autism. Everything you discussed today fits her perfectly. She was honestly this way from birth. I recognized that she was very different and had issues while she was a toddler. Her meltdowns were horrible and they happened anywhere and all the time. I had to remove her from private preschool because of it and the fact that she would attack younger children. She was only 3 years old. We got Early Childhood Intervention involved when she was only 18 months old. This diagnosis isolates the family. What it has done to my life is beyond my ability to put into words. She threw over desks, threw pencil boxes at teachers, cursed them and finally in 8th grade did what I always feared would come. She assaulted a teacher and attacked a police officer. She had absolutely no respect or fear toward anyone. Her anxiety could provoke rage. We did have to remove her from school to protect other people but now at the age of 18, she has a really great psychiatrist who has medicated her to the point that she’s not violent. She can still meltdown, but I can control her somewhat. Yes, this diagnosis is pure hell..not just for the family and loved ones but also for the person being diagnosed. I have hope that eventually down the road she will be able to live an independent life, but until she’s way older, she will stay with me because I can’t bear the thought of what she could do to another person and I love her very much and don’t want anything to happen to her. Thank you for this video. I would like to add that I can personally tell you that this is genetic. My daughter is adopted. I know her birth mother and her birth father. Both have issues and her birth mother was diagnosed bipolar. In hindsight and because I have raised this child just like I raised my own children and in the same home with the same structure and rules…I have come to believe it’s inherited. We have done everything you mentioned. She’s had a psychiatric nurse since she was 4 years old and a private counselor even until now. She is medicated and is indeed on an antipsychotic. Now, she’s being diagnosed with an antisocial disorder. Her birth father has that diagnosis.

My youngest was diagnosed with ODD when he was still tiny. We have home schooled from kindergarten on because he was so disruptive in class. It wasn't fair to the other kids. It wasn't fair to the teacher. And it certainly wasn't fair to him. I was so scared of how he would turn out as he got older because he was violent and uncontrollable. He has come such a long way thanks to therapy and just growing up. He's such a sweet boy, who does get upset easily but doesn't lash out. Not a violent bone in his body anymore. He's also autistic and has ADHD so the poor dear has a lot holding him back, but I'm so proud of how far he's come in 16 years.

What worries me, as someone who has trouble following rules that make no sense to me, is that a child asking why a rule is in place might be considered to simply be being defiant. Some adults seem unable to recognize that children are people with minds of their own. EDIT FOR PEOPLE WHO FAIL TO UNDERSTAND THAT LAST SENTENCE: SOME ADULTS CAN'T COMPREHEND ANY SORT OF DISOBEDIENCE BEING NORMAL AND HEALTHY AND THAT IS WHAT CONCERNS ME

I had a cousin who was a textbook case of ODD. (I use the past tense, because he committed suicide when he was 26.) During his infancy, he had failure to thrive. He was also neglected by his mother when he was older. I think that to him, even negative attention was good attention. More than once, he was sent away to a boys' ranch for truancy in his teen years. He was very obnoxious and manipulative and knew what buttons to press. He developed a drug problem in his later years and became paranoid and delusional and had hallucinations. He began to stockpile weapons. This may sound bad, but when he killed himself, I was just glad that he took himself out and no one else.

I'd love to see research differentiating pda profile ASD from ODD (especially in the context of childhood trauma), especially given the link between ADHD and ODD, given we already know a statistical link between ADHD and ASD.

I actually was diagnosed with this but come to find out-it was stemming from me having anxiety, trying to fit in, etc. I was also always the type to speak up when I felt things were unjust so that’s also another reason why I was looked at as so defiant.

Dr. Marks I needed this affirmation today. My husband and I are currently struggling with 2 of our 6 children (2 of which are adults) with this disorder. My husband and I feel like we're living in hell. Our 16 year old daughter was diagnosed with this at the age of 7, conduct disorder and bipolar 1 later on. It's sad to say I don't think I had a true understanding of this disorder was until today when I watched your video. My daughter absolutely hates me, blames me for every single thing that goes wrong in her life. She wakes me up out of my sleep to tell my how horrible of a mother I am. I feel like I'm being emotionally abused and drained to the point that I no longer want her living with us. Because of this I feel guilty and I'm also constantly trying to figure out what I've done to make this child hate me. She's a daddy's girl which doesn't bother me but I do want her to be respectful to me. She constantly tells me how her dad is a better parent than me. Yesterday I said good morning to her and she said "don't look at me, I hate when you look at me." Friends and family are always telling me how sweet and loving she is. She comes off as extremely caring, lovable and innocent, almost angelic. I asked her what I've done to her to make her hate me and she said she doesn't know all she knows is she hates me and believes I hate her too. She also blames me for having autoimmune diseases. It's almost like she goes out of her way to try and make me hate her. Nothing I do is right. She's on medication but I feel like it's a hit or miss. She's also in therapy which she has the psychiatrist and therapist thinking she's so sweet. I mean she really comes off as a sweetheart. She's soft spoken and gentle with everyone but me and 2 her sisters but I get the brunt of it. I'm extremely perplexed because I keep trying to figure out why I trigger this child so much. I'm at my wits end. Our 11 year old son is even worse than her. He's not disrespectful to me or his dad in general but he's extremely violent and aggressive with some of his siblings. He was also diagnosed about the age of 6. He's also on medication and has been on antipsychotics for years. He had a therapy team that would come to our home 3 times a week and I didn't see any improvement. The therapist were very accusatory and made me feel like I was parenting all wrong. My son, who at the time was about 6 or 7 would hug me in front of them and they would tell me to ignore him and push him away because I was showing him affection when he didn't deserve it. I'm no expert but I felt like that was counterproductive. His behavior is so extreme that his psychologist at the time recommended I not have him in school because of his potential aggression to the other students so he's been homeschooled for the past few years. He's become known as the family bully. At 5'4 he's taller than me, he's 180 lbs and wears a size 12 shoe in men. He likes to intimidate the other kids with his size. He goes from being Mr. Rodgers to the incredible hulk in the matter of seconds then right back to Mr. Rodgers. Everyone feels like their walking on eggshells so they don't set him off including me but I don't want to seem weak in front of him but secretly I am afraid of him. Even though he's aggressive he's extremely sensitive and gets his feelings hurt easily. His former psychiatrist told me that prisons are full of men like him and he was going to try and help him but there was little hope. We're not giving up on him so easily and just throw him away to the prison system. He's a brilliant kid. He's taught himself how to make video games and coding. He creates websites and graphic designs. My husband has taught him how to do computer programming, maintenance on cars and construction, deconstruction, produce music, play the piano, etc. He loves science and wants to become an engineer. His interest are extremely vast and he excels at anything he puts his mind to. However, now he's learned how to hack in to computers and change prices on websites, a few days ago my daughter was looking at an iPhone and he changed the price to $1.99. He asked another child for his social security number so he could file him on his taxes. He applied a credit card and unemployment benefits. We put a lock on our wifi to keep him off of certain websites but he's hacks into our phones and changed the settings. I want to take his all his electronics because I'm afraid the FBI is going to be knocking at our door. He's not like any other 11 year old I've seen. Before having children I worked in special education during college but now I'm disabled because I have lupus and MS and my husband worked as a correctional officer but had a stroke last year and lost his sight and is now a paraplegic. My son has used this to his advantage to basically terrorize his siblings because his dad was the main disciplinary. I'm still at a lost on how to exactly help my children but I really appreciate your explanation of this disorder. I learned more in 10 minutes than I have in all the years I have been trying to research this disorder on my own. I feel like now I can go forward trying to get more assistance from their current mental health providers because I can explain accurately of what we're experiencing at home. Your simple explanation on all your videos really helps. I don't know if I've already missed this video but can you expound more on the difference between conduct disorder and opposition defiant disorder? Thanks again!

As a 29 year old with ODDCD, if your child is diagnosed you need to get them help. This video is spot on but under shot a little with explaining the levels of emotion we deal with across the board not just anger. Everything gets turned up to 13 so it's important to intervene early. Everything that goes wrong feels like the end of the world. Any wrong doing against you can easily be justified in your head with thoughts of extreme violence or even murder and sprinkle some impulsive behaviours in there and you've got a nightmare. Thankfully growing up in such an abusive and violent home and area mine has put me in a place where I refuse to act like the people I was brought up around but I still ruin everything for myself on a day to day basis. ODDCD for me is nothing but suffering endless suffering.

I'm 40 and I absolutely lived my entire life with this. I've never known until now why I instinctually defied authority until now. Thank you for making this video.

My parents took a picture of themselves with a "don't walk on the grass" sign when they were still engaged in 1961. It was the most rebellious thing they ever did 😁 (My mom was raised Catholic, so had to confess. She couldn't think of anything, which was not excepted by the priest. So she made up stuff, stealing a cookie and such, and ended with what she did right there: "and I lied".)

That poor mother who asked the question… the answer was shocking. My 35 year old son was diagnosed adhd and odd at age 6, started on Ritalin and developed Tourette’s. He controls the Tourette’s in social settings well, and he claims his adhd is no longer an issue, but as for his odd, as long as I maintain my patience, we generally get along okay. He hasn’t had any issues keeping jobs, no trouble with the law, but I still worry about him all the time. Life must be so hard and frustrating for them, especially as children. 😢

I really appreciate this doctor. She is so easy to listen too and very educated . Bringing to light alot of internal issues! Thank u

Ive been waiting for this one, My son is human embodiment of ODD. More resources for parents is incredibly necessary. If you can make more videos on this topic to help parents that would be great. Thank you for this.

As a mum ,my heart goes out to you. People say flippant things to me and you answer politely but as many parents out there you have run the marathon l,m sure. Just sending love.

Hear hear! Can relate, 6yr old son, ODD & ADHD, it's not easy, sending strength to all!

My sister has ODD/ADHD and got early intervention. She almost got kicked out of her daycare after giving a kid a bloody nose in a fight over a certain spot on the carpet at circle time. She's almost 11 now (I'm 11 years older) and has gotten better. She can be irritable, argumentative and have a difficult time just letting things go but I'm not nearly as worried about her as I used to be.

I would say the adult who has this may be very aware that they have a problem with authority, and thus intentionally sought a career where they can make independent decisions. They found workarounds.

As someone with ODD and ADHD. I am working on it. Thankfully. My ODD is pretty easy to control. When I want to be left alone. I want to be left alone. And when someone does not let me. Even if I’m not alone to be left alone. I get mad. And the ODD takes over, I hate it so much but I am learning to control it.❤😊

I was diagnosed with ODD when I was a child. I'm much much better now but I sometimes still have impulsive aggressive feelings and feel like people are trying to "attack" me.

I tend to hate authority figures for the most part but I don't have ODD, I just think the kind of people who gravitate towards positions of power 99 percent of the time are the last ones you would want in a position of power over you. The best bosses, and politicians I have lived under are the ones who got the job despite not wanting it due to necessity, every boss/politician I have lived under who wanted the job always turned out to be a complete power hungry immoral tyrant.

Fantastic video!! I've recently started working with this kind of child population, and I've never heard it all explained so well and in full. I appreciate how empathetic you are to people with this disorder (and other difficult ones like cluster B PDs), and how it can persist into and present in adulthood.

I used to babysit a 3yo just like this. When I'd show up to her house she'd take one look at me and yell "NO! YOU GO HOME!!" I was always super nice to her, and gave her a lot of leeway. I never backed her into a corner, and gave her lots of choices. I figured out pretty quick that if I didn't want her to do something, all I had to do was order her to do it! "Don't close the door. I like fresh air." She slams the door. Mission accomplished! 2 of her older siblings also had ODD and ADHD, and struggled a lot in school. Her older brother had to be home schooled, and the older sister went to a small private school where the mom volunteered. The older sister has since matured and is a wonderful woman now, the older brother is still argumentative and immature, and now the 3yo is 12, and struggling in school. They have amazing parents. The mom has infinite patience, and the dad doesn't take it personally when he's verbally or physically attacked. He only raises his voice if he thinks that fighting could lead to massive bleeding or broken bones. All the child psychiatrists have told them that there's nothing that can be done but to keep them safe, and hope they will grow out of it.

I have similar issues as people with ODD and ADHD with my TBI-(Traumatic Brain Injury).. I have a "broken filter"mentally and emotionally at times that has costs me several friendships... 😢...

I think I had this because I was being abused at home, and I cried out for help.

Thank you Dr Tracey. 🤱 For helping us to understand this type of disorder. There are so many different disorders I don't even know where to begin. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to help us to understand this and all other disorders.

Suspect my brother has ODD. In our teen years I asked dad to send him to military school so the family could get a break. If not send me to military school so I could escape him. He could be such a bully.

Wholly shi...😮 I literally was watching a documentary "Heal" today and learned that it's one of the lesser known symptoms of trauma. Thanks for giving me the video right on time.

Can you talk about ODD vs PDA vs behaviours rooted in trauma?

Thank you sharing Doctor. We really appreciate you!

Huge respect for your hardworking Ma'am stay blessed always

With everything going on right now, we'll have regrets for things we did not participate in...Investment should always be on any creative man's heart for success in life.

As an aside, I love your thumbnails! This one is really spot-on. Luvluvluv yhis channel. Thank you Dr Marks 😘

My 10 year old daughter has ODD. I hope she grows out of it. I have stage 3 ovarian cancer and it's almost impossible to deal with my daughter while im in so much physical pain.

My daughter only acted like this with me. She was good at school. She said it was because she was comfortable at home.

Fascinating! I’ve had these symptoms off & on for years intermingled with anxiety, depression,, and Misophonia.

So on point, I had a childhood friend who had untreated ADHD and ODD, then developed ASPD. I remember being terrified of her, because she enjoyed her vindictiveness, she would smile and found nothing wrong with provoking people into fights. It was years after I lost touch with her, that another friend told me that.

Can you do a video on the difference between ODD and PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance). I was diagnosed ADHD and ODD as a child, but very recently diagnosed ADHD and Autism. I’m curious if the ODD was misdiagnosed when I was a kid because Autism wasn’t diagnosed in girls or in people who needed less support and PDA wasn’t known about at all.

Thank you so much for your work and services! I work on an inpatient unit and my team and I have been watching your videos, such real practical education! Could you do a video for us about what someone with cluster C would look like practically? I would like to hear about the ridged intrusive thoughts, resistance to treatments/reasons for a lack of lasting change, and how each type in the cluster coexist while one could be dominant. Thank you in advance!!

this is so fascinating and it explains a lot about things we may see- Thank You! also, i just love your blouse, you always look stylish

More discussion about concepts in social science would be helpful. This is a very nuanced topic.

Dr. Tracey Marks: this video is REALLY VALUABLE!

So many of these symptoms line up with narcissistic personality disorder!

I had a therapist who was also my mothers therapist and after just two or three sessions he suggested I could potentially be odd. Having never heard of it I looked it up and knew immediately that wasn’t me in any way. This was a year ago when I was 50 and Being that he was also my mothers therapist ..I’ll now have to always wonder what the hell my mom told him to make him think that so soon into my sessions.

This is not a teenager rebelling behavior or acting out when they come to the age. It starts when he barely walked as a young child and doesn’t go away with age just amplifies it from not wanting playing with a toy to not wanting to go to school or listening to anyone either parents, teachers, principals or psychologist it doesn’t matter if it is a authority figure. Only continuing working alongside with a psychiatrist to help the child regulate their impulses and not acting out on their negative emotions , also they are keeping grudges and deflecting their wrong decisions into everybody else except themselves trying to blame others for their actions. It makes no difference in environment or with whom for acting out when are triggered and they will tried to push all buttons to see how far they can get. I repeat it shows signs in the early age and continues into teenage years. Thank you

Thank you so much for this video!! ❤

What an extraordinary affliction. Without putting a label on it & trying to find medication to suppress this affliction, could it just simply be, that, particularly young children, don’t like the environment they are forced into, such as school & their only preservation, would be to rebel agains it. I speak from experience, feeling that I never fitted in as a child, surrounded by other children all wearing the same uniform & been taught the same things. My unique creativity & my authentic individuality suppressed, just to suit others. Because someone is different, these days, we put labels on them & suggest that they are somehow Ill or deficient.

Good Evening Dr Marks, I hope my message finds you well. Thank you for this informative video DR. MARKs. I wish I had a brain like yours to become a fully accomplished physician. Unfortunately, It is too late and that ship has sailed for me, I have always resented myself for not pursuing post-secondary education My regrets are embedded in me as a reminder. Needless to say, my undying love, curiosity and fascination for medicine and any science related to humanity were there in the past and will always remain. I loved your book. the book was very beautifully put together for reference purposes. Thank you, Humble Regards Amandeep Singh Edmonton AB, Canada

Thank you this helped me with studying!!

As someone with many gastrointestinal autoimmune diseases, all it started during kindergarten with Pica disorder ( Anemia). I realized that many of the symtoms comes from inflammation and severe malnourishment ( iron, vitamin D, vitamin B complex such B1, B2, B6, B9 and B13, Zinc and many others) Also homocysteine can be associated.

This is my son. I noticed little things when he was younger. But it really kicked in at 16. He's 22 now and he's a nightmare. It's a war every day. Everything shebsays, he does especially to me. Even though everyone in the house is fair game to him. And he's a klepto on top of everything.....

Thank you.. Somehow have a student that put me in rage while destroy property and blame it on my poor behavior to manage her. I feel that I did something wrong, but it is not on me to fix her. Hope the best for her.

Thankyou for such a detailed and well done explanation c:

There is so much stigma around ODD but it's often present with other things. Often too there is alot of overlap between PDA (Pathological demand avoidance) which is a characteristic of autism.

My mom told me I was diagnosed with this at an early stage I was always shy and quiet never argumentative just very independent and strong willed

This video answers a lot of questions a about people I know.

Ok thankyou my daughter had this also . Early teenage years .

I’m a nanny and I cared for a four year old who obviously had odd. With my urging they got him checked out and after he began therapy, which led me to believe he was diagnosed, but they weren’t telling me because nannies who care for children with special needs are well compensated and they didn’t want to compensate me for being bitten and attacked multiple times per day. They decided to bury their heads in the sand and stop therapy in hopes that he would out grow it… meanwhile other children and animals had to suffer while they waited for that day that never came. I’m glad I’ve seen this.

Thank you for the information

Thank you for this video.

Please some more on BPD

Omg! This is someone I know all day long!

As a 38 yr old with odd and add I disagree, I'm always angry at others but usually internalize it as my own inability to to understand a situation and then grow more angry at myself, it has always been my fault for being unable to cope with my disabilities

Very interesting. Thank you. How does this compare with narcissistic tendencies?

Nice. The first time I found information on ODD that doesn't assume it just disappears and doesn't exist in adults. I'm pretty sure this is what my mom has. I always assumed it was narcissism but that doesn't quite fit. This does though.

Thank you for this video!!

if it 'develops' in abusive and neglectful homes, why is it not PTSD? how are these behaviors not defense mechanisms? I know a lot of folks struggling with PTS that have explosive tempers, impulse control problems, all of this.... but I'd never diagnose an adult with ODD!

Dr Tracey- It is a fantastic presentation of a very difficult diagnosis for the person, the family and the person's educators or coworkers/friends I'd imagine. (A minor note. The sound effects are too much like gunshots! No kidding I had to take out the earbuds to make sure nothing bad was going on around me)

My sister had ODD and ADHD and whew it has been a long journey

I never knew this existed. It explains a lot with society.

It sounds like a subset or euphemism for antisocial personality disorder, or psychopath or sociopath. That would be rough, I really think some kids are just predisposed towards personality disorders.

I just want to say that I was a pre school teacher for over 40 years. Most of my class was filled with preschool children who had been kicked out of other preschools for defiant behaviors. Some serious such as choking other children ECT. My room had three rules ( because I feel at that age most violations fit into these categories) Be Neat Be Safe Be Kind I stuck to those rules and anything children did in violation meant they had to come talk to me and I would ask their side of the story. After they explained their side I would remind them of the three rules and ask them which do they think they broke? Maybe they didn't keep hands to themselves or maybe not being kind ECT. Then I would do the same with the other child who the conflict was with. Then after talking to them both separately I would talk to them together or rather allow them to talk with each other while to solve the difficulties. Generally I just would ask opened ended questions such as how did it make you feel when so and do did this to you. Walking them through their emotions helped immensely and allowed them the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills to help control their emotions and behaviors. The Book Love and logic also is very helpful because it allows children to develop self control BUT parents must be committed to stick with and be consistent with the steps . Consultancy is the key. I myself was one of those defiant young teenagers but we had stuff going on in my family at the time. Ppl don't always have time to deal with their children if they have their own problems going on. Children generally will show you how they feel if they have no way of talking through their emotions. First look at your situation. Are you being consistent in your own life? What negative things children being exposed to? What are you as parents doing to help them with self control? Do you carve out time to talk with your children? No not how was school?. Tell me about your day! What was a good thing that happened? What was a bad thing that happened? Find out what's triggering the behavior. There's always a reason

Would like to hear your take on PDA - pathological demand avoidance as a feature of adult autism. Seems a pretty controversial but apt explanation for inexplicable behaviors.

Loved this video...this is a tough one because the symptoms are so subtle at times. I see both my son, (now 20) and my husband having this (although my husband probably grew out of most of it). Not sure if I should mention it to either of them. 😢

very good illustrations accompanying the explanation

Very helpfull. Thank you!

4 of 5 of these fit me. But also so does bipolar and many other symptoms

Omg i was diagnosed as a child with ODD and diagnosed as an adult with ADHD. It all makes sense now!

As some have already mentioned in comments, please don't self diagnose. I was the oldest bio kid in a family that fosters and the majority of my foster siblings had ODD diagnosis's along with several others but frankly, so much of it was a trauma response. Also, as already mentioned as well in the comments, sometimes these collection of traits is more to so with a sensory and perception disorder and their response to their environment looks like ODD.

I was in adolescent treatment centers with a lot of teens labeled ODD. It seems like they would be in jail if they kept acting like that as an adult.

When I was a child, I enjoyed being BAD... I was bored and curious - public school was a drag... I was reading college text books in the third grade, so my parents bought 2 sets of Encyclopedias... That kept me busy for a whole year...

I feel like this is a really common thing. I had a neighborhood friend growing up who had this his whole entire life and probably still does now is a thirty-year-old adult. And then I also had a teenage friend and she definitely had this and I kind of think she still does. She ended up trying to fight a cop when she was like 25 and she weighs like 120 pounds and she got her teeth broken. She's my friend, I don't think less of her, but I just wish that she hadn't done that. And it's just kind of interesting because I always felt that she was so defiant for no clear reason. I mean I understand that the cops are fucked up but what is attacking them going to do? Maybe it's less of a problem with being defiant and more about just working harder instead of smarter

Love this

Oppositional defiant disorder is a common childhood mental health issue that can cause significant distress for parents. With understanding and treatment, it can be managed and outcomes improved. Thanks, @life-is-here

Omg this is kinda terrifying. What advice do you have for the adult who's been living undiagnosed with the consequences of ODD? I'm worried I may have had some version of this all along. But what can I do about it now? Could you make a video on some coping techniques or something for adults with ODD?

Thank you so much. This was amazing. Do you think a service dog would be helpful for our child that has ODD, ADHD, SPD and adjustment disorder? He is on meds but he does best with a dog around and the meds only help so much. We are considering the service dogs and just want to be sure it will be worth it since they are extremely expensive. Thank you for considering my question. ❤

I have this as well as ASD and ADHD, god I hate it as most of the time I'm trying to get help, not push people away.

Having a kid with ODD must come with a lot of guilt and feel like you’re raising a psychopath. I can’t imagine how I’d react to a kid that doesn’t respond to any type of discipline (positive reinforcement, positive punishment, etc)

Thank you

I have two children (adults now) who have this and it did not get easier. It is frightening , my Son is the most extreme as far as acting OUT and arguing with anyone in authority. My Daughter loves to annoy people and hates rules and she has never taken ownership of her actions. They do not live at home but I do financially support one to keep them out of my home. They also LOVE to play victim and they use people like kleenex.

My grandson acts up in the house. Many things you mentioned describe him except that in school he behaves. As soon as he gets in the car, his attitude changes. His mom was diagnosed with this disorder. She’s also bipolar as me and her sister. I see much of his mom when she was a child in him.

Can you do a video to explain the difference between ODD and PDA?

Had a Behavioural Specialist come and speak to my colleagues and me about this some weeks ago. Very helpful! Thanks!