3 ms·
OK, my father deals with people with ODD and Conduct disorder on a regular basis, and I think this article is really miss-characterizing the condition. You don'
by openasocket 11y ago
OK, my father deals with people with ODD and Conduct disorder on a regular basis, and I think this article is really miss-characterizing the condition. You don't have ODD if you have a reason for defying authority, even a bad reason. ODD is defined as having problems with planning and inhibition. I was actually talking with my father just last night about ODD, and he described an experiment to me. Imagine you have a patient play a card game in which they have the chance to win money or lose money. Initially, the game is rigged in the patient's favor, but as the game goes on it gets harder and harder for them to win. Most people will figure out that the odds have changed and stop playing, but people with ODD or Conduct disorder will continue playing far longer than anyone else because they have poor planning skills. Describing people with ODD as simply anti-authority is really missing the crux of the condition.
EDIT: I shouldn't criticize the article, but rather the people who are doing the over diagnosing. Just thought I'd give some context to the condition, so people understand what ODD really is.
- vanderZwan 11y agoYou're inverting the entire premise of the article: he isn't really talking about ADHD/ODD, he is talking about people who are anti-authoritarian and are misdiagnosed as ADHD/ODD as a result of it. When he talks about famous people who would have been diagnosed as having these disorders in modern times, he's not saying that they have these disorders, but that the diagnosis is bogus. It's as he's saying "these people who have the common cold are misdiagnosed as having the flu!" and you respond with "these common cold characteristics are nothing like the flu." Well, yes, that's part of the issue at hand.
- openasocket 11y agoYou're absolutely right: I guess I just wanted to provide some context on what ODD really is. I didn't want people to think that all ODD diagnoses are like this, or that ODD is not a real disease. I'll edit my comment to reflect that
- tryitnow 11y agoThen why call it Opposition Defiant Disorder? Why not call it Executive Planning Disorder or something else that refers to poor planning skills. I like your dad's definition better, but I fear that there are institutional and cultural factors that allow ODD diagnoses to stigmatize anti-authoritarians.
- openasocket 11y agoWell, there are several conditions that would fall under issues with planning: including ADHD and garden variety mental retardation (which are often co-morbid with ODD). What separates ODD from those other conditions is it presents with a lot of hostility and aggression. So a proper name would be more like "Executive Planning Disorder with Aggression." However, I think that over-diagnosis of ODD is somewhat less of an issue than ADHD or depression. Unlike those conditions, the treatment regiment for ODD is behavioral therapy and anger management training, as opposed to medication.
- DanBC 11y ago> Unlike those conditions, the treatment regiment for ODD is behavioral therapy and anger management training, as opposed to medication. First line treatment for depression and ADD are behavioural therapies (including family therapy if the patient is a child with ADHD) rather than medication. At least, that's the case in the UK.