Oppositional Defiant Disorders Case Study Final

Running head: OPPOSITIONAL OPPOSITIONA L DEFIANT DISORDERS CASE STUDY

Oppositional Defiant Disorders Case Study Latonia Wells Psy 435 August 29, 2010 Kidd Colt

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OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDERS CASE STUDY

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Oppositional Defiant Disorders Case Study Oppositional Defiant Disorders (ODD) is referred to as a disruptive behavior disorder. This is one of the most common mental disorders displayed in children and adolescents. Oppositional defiant disorder is a disorder that affects between two – 16% of children in the school-age population. ODD is usually onset between the ages of six to 10 years old and some case symptoms may appear much earlier. What is ODD? According to In the Penguin Dictionary of Psychology, Oppositional Defiant Disorder is a developmental disorder marked by defiant, hostile, and negativistic behavior, but without the serious antisocial characteristics observed in the conduct disorders. Children who have it are argumentative, lose their temper easily, and are resentful, angry, and easily annoyed. Oppositional behaviors play a important role in the central development of mental and emotional illnesses and usually manifests itself from other mental disorders such as Conduct Disorder, ADHD or other sociopathic personality disorders. ODD is usually onset between the ages of six to 10 years old and some case symptoms may appear much earlier. Research has shown that with younger children ODD is more prevalent in boys than girls and almost Five to 15% percent of school aged children suffer from the disorder. Oppositional defiant disorder has become the most common behavioral disorder diagnosed to school aged children. Oppositional-defiant disorder is similar to conduct disorder, but conduct disorder has more severe factors of aggressive behaviors destruction of property and theft. According to Meyer and Weaver certain adolescents are unable to affect a logical or objective break from their earlier emotional bonds with parents, and thus teenagers’ struggles for an autonomous relationship with parents may be a significant source of problems. This paper will define Oppositional defiant disorder and provide a brief overview of the Case of Phyllis to


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explain biological, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components of the disorder as displayed in her case. The Case of Phyllis Phyllis is the youngest of five siblings all of which are girls. There parents were embassy officials for several countries in South American. The family move around every two years or so making it hard for Phyllis to for the maintain consistent social relationships. Phyllis’s academic performance was not as good as her sisters as evidenced by her poor grades. Although her behaviors seemed normal, Phyllis started having temper tantrums as early as her preschool years, which may have been the onset of her ODD. Phyllis parents moved back to the states by the time she started high school, and they described her as moody and difficult to get along with. She attended public school where she would start to receive infractions, which would lead to suspensions. Phyllis was suspended four times in her first two years of high school; this led her parents to enroll her in a private school, which they believed offered a more structured environment. The change of atmosphere did not settle improve her behaviors Phyllis was suspended twice in the first semester, and she faced expulsion if her behaviors did not improve. Phyllis was referred to a clinical psychologist by her guidance counselor to assist her parents with seeking help for her behaviors. Phyllis began to receive treatment for her behaviors, which resulted in her parents receiving Parent Management Training (PMT) to help them implement behavioral techniques in the home. Ph yllis’s parents learned how to use reinforcement and other techniques to help her with making improvements in her behaviors. Parents were taught how to use reinforcement and punishment techniques reliant on the behaviors she displayed. Her parents provided rewards and consequences for specific behaviors to manage future problems. Phyllis received several individual, family, and group sessions,


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which consisted of Adlerian and Gestalt techniques. Phyllis began to show improvements in her behaviors after three months of therapy. Her parents could measure improvements in her behaviors by the decrease of detentions, improved academic performance, she was more pleasant to be around, and she was developing and maintaining more stable relationships with her peers. Biological Components According to Meyer and Weaver, evidence indicates that genetic factors may play a role in the development of disruptive behavior disorders. It is believed that deficiencies or brain injury is the cause of some serious behavioral problems in children. Some studies suggest that ODD can be linked to abnormal amounts of chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are the process in which nerve cells in the brain communicate and when not working properly messages are not transmitted through the brain properly. Also ODD can be onset as a result of other disorders being present in the individual. Emotional Components Oppositional defiance can be caused by factors of a dysfunctional family system such as divorce, marital conflict, family violence, or child abuse. ODD also be caused by poor parent-child interactions, for example lack of supervision or inconsistencies with disciplinary practices, rules, and other behavioral standards. The child’s living situation puts him or her at in increase developing disruptive behavior disorders because he or she may experience poor living situations and dysfunctionality in family situations. The environment in which a child is reared is an important factor in how he or she may development ODD. Poor parenting skills, neglect, substance abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and domestic violence increase the risk of the child developing ODD for children acting out or displaying symptoms of ODD may be their way of dealing with depressed moods or inconsistent structure with the family system.


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Another onset of ODD also can be the results of the child experiencing hurts and disappointment form parents, siblings or peers. Modeling can also play a role in the acquisition of ODD. Children can model their behaviors after watching others around them. The DSM-IV TR shows tat marital discord is a factor in ODD, which is the result of the child displaying anger or sadness. In Phyllis’s case She was the youngest of her siblings so she was expected to live up to the standards they all met. She was overprotected so this affected her ability to solve problems on her own. She also did have a close relationship with her sisters because of the a gaps between them so all she had was her parents, which may have led to feelings of neglect, depression and disappointment. Another emotional factor could have been that she did not live in poverty or other dangerous situations, but she may have believed there was no stability with her friendships as a result of her families’ frequent moves. This could have been a source of conflict between her and her parents. Cognitive and Behavioral Components During the preschool stages ODD manifests itself through frequent, severe temper tantrums, and intolerable behaviors. Phyllis had been stubborn and difficult as a preschooler and often displayed temper tantrums. During her adolescence stage Phyllis displayed hostility toward her mother for thinking that she was sexually active. Behavioral Components of ODD can resort from parental discipline and parental involvement. Anger is created by harsh punishments and attachment with the authority figure is reduced creating aggression. Inconsistent disciplinary practices also play a role in children displaying ODD because their behaviors continue to escalate until they get their way. Children who suffer from disruptive behavior disorder sometimes have deficiencies and distorted thinking. They do not know how to handle certain


situations, and they do not think about the results of their actions. Phyllis was very argumentive and may have acted in this manner because she was placing blame on individuals around her for some of the feelings and issues she was experiencing. Conclusion In conclusion it is clear that Phyllis was suffering from Oppositional defiant disorder. It is unclear about when the disorder was onset, and there were no factors present to identify if there were biological factors. It was evident that she was not raised in a dysfunctional family or poor living environment, but emotional factors played a role in the development of her acquiring ODD. Once, her parents realized there was a problem they took the advice to seek treatment for Phyllis, which proved to be effective as evidenced by the improvement in her behaviors in the home and school settings.

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References Meyer, R., Chapman, L. K., & Weaver, C. M. (2009). Case studies in abnormal behavior. (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

oppositional defiant disorder. (2009). In The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/entry/penguinpsyc/oppositional_defia nt_disorder

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Oppositional Defiant Disorders Case Study Final

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