Oppositional defiant disorder

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

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

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

Email this page  Printer friendly  Bookmark this page