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Oppositional defiant disorder

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Definition:

Oppositional defiant disorder is a pattern of disobedient, hostile, and defiant behavior toward authority figures. To fit this diagnosis, the pattern must persist for at least 6 months and must go beyond the bounds of normal childhood misbehavior.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

This disorder is more prevalent in boys than girls. Some studies have shown that 20% of the school-age population is affected. However, most experts believe this figure is inflated due to changing cultural definitions of normal childhood behavior, and other possible biases including racial, cultural, and gender biases.

This behavior typically starts by age 8. The cause of this disorder is unknown, and may be due to a combination of biology and parenting or environmental factors.

• Review Date: 5/17/2006
• Reviewed By: Paul Ballas, D.O., Department of Psychiatry, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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