I've seen a couple of posts where the child is diagnosed with ADHD AND ODD. What is ODD? My daughter has ADHD w/o hyperactivity and it seems as she gets older, she is harder to get along with. She says she has no friends at school and says everybody hates her. She has been on Adderall XR, which was a nightmare, and has been off now for 5 months but we are trying her on Focalin XR starting tomorrow.
ODD stands for Oppositional Defiant Disorder, which is exactly what it sounds like. Has your child been defiant, deliberately disobeying you? From what little you've said, it doesn't sound like ODD. More like social skill problems, impulsivity and inappropriate behavior, which are all associated with ADHD. Depending on her age, it could also be a phase. Give us more info.Any kid who is defiant with violent fits should see a Child Psychiatrist for early onset bipolar. ODD doesn't stand alone, and is not a useful diagnosis as there is no help and no cure, and the ODD behavior usually isn't ODD alone. This particular site listed below has some good threads going right now about ODD, and it's implications. A lot of people there are very knowledgeable about ODD and what it really means. This is a Conduct Disorders board and these are older, experienced parents who have been through the diagnostic and treatment and medication mill. Very smart group.
MomWI38898.3686226852.IMac38944.8529282407Well put Suzie. Sometimes it feels like having someone with a bad case of Strong wills and no fun, why this co-mordity?
[QUOTE=IMac]Thanks for the link, MomWI.
Steppingstone, I am curious which type of professionals stated that your son is a "classic case" of ODD?
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He was first diagnosed by a Psychologist, and I believe that it was child psychiatrist who made this statement. I think that probably the symptoms of ODD are the most prevalent, however, the cyclothymic or bipolar symptoms being present exacerbate them.
[QUOTE=MomWI]Any kid who is defiant with violent fits should see a Child Psychiatrist for early onset bipolar. ODD doesn't stand alone, and is not a useful diagnosis as there is no help and no cure, and the ODD behavior usually isn't ODD alone. This particular site listed below has some good threads going right now about ODD, and it's implications. A lot of people there are very knowledgeable about ODD and what it really means. This is a Conduct Disorders board and these are older, experienced parents who have been through the diagnostic and treatment and medication mill. Very smart group.
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Thanks, momwi. Testing that was completed about 2 years ago indicated that my son does possibly have Cyclothymic disorder, which, as I understand it, is like a mild form of bipolar disorder. The child psychiatrist who he saw seemed to think that the ODD the primary problem. However, the therapist who he saw felt that he could quit possibly become bipolar during young adulthood.
Is he on a mood stabilizer to stop the cycling? What meds is he on, if not? He is not on a mood stabilizer at this point. He is currently on respirdal for the anger management problems. It does seem to take the edge off, and he does not get as explosive when he is taking it. However, the underlying traits of the ODD remain. The doctor took him off of it for awhile a year ago, and it was a disaster. He ended up assaulting another boy on his baseball team because the kid accidentally spit on him. At that point, we insisted that he be put back on it. It has made being around him a little easier.Steppingstone, I read an article recently in the Washington Post about cyclothymic disorder, and it said the same meds that treat bipolar disorder are used to treat cyclothymic disorder (makes sense). I have two children with working dxes of bipolar disorder -- the pdocs say we will know in time what their official dxes are -- and they are both being treated with mood stabilizers (Depakote and Lamictal). I can't tell you the difference in their ability to function. You should ask the pdoc about a mood stabilizer for your son. Risperdal can work in the short term, or as you say, take the edge off, but long terms its effects tend to fizzle. Mood stabilizers are the way to go for long-term treatment. Thanks, smallmom! Yes, it would make sense that they would use the same meds to treat bipolar and cyclothymic disorder. He is going to be 18 in a little less than two months. We will talk with him about the mood stabilizers. However, he's saying at this point that he is not going to take meds once he turns 18 (he doesn't have a problem, it's the rest of the world that has the problem). He has absolutely no insight. He will no longer be living with us once he is 18, so we are leaving this up to him. I have to admit, the thought is rather scarey, his being unmedicated and also no longer under Mom and Dads control. However, he will be an adult at that point, so it is his decision. Thanks again!My 17 year old son has ODD, and has been described by professionals as being a "classic case". He has always had problems with authority figures. He is, as susieb said, defiant and deliberately disobediant. He will go out of his way to annoy others. He has an extreme amount of trouble accepting the word no. He argues excessively, and will at times start an argument over what would be considered a trivial matter. His problems have been present in all settings (home, school, work, and community). He still has temper tantrums, and has destroyed property and become violent during these on a number of occassions in the past. This has usually been because he not gotten his own way about something.
I agree with susieb, your daughter's problems sound more like they are related to the AD/HD. My daughter is 9, and she experiences some of the same problems. I think that they are related more to her impulsivity, and her being overly sensitive to the remarks and actions of others.