Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Childhood and Adolescence

Abstract

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD), which usually develop at the age below 18, are considered as a sustainable antisocial and aggressive types of behavior, stepping beyond the borders of socially accepted standards. Within the recent decades, significant success has been achieved in the diagnosis and long-term predictive assessment of different types of behavioral aberrations, occurring during the childhood and adolescence. Early development of behavioral disorders forms unfavorable predictions and correlates with biological and social risk factors, such as attention deficit, impulse control disorder and unfavorable social environment. Most of the clinical observations confirm the effectiveness of different psychotherapeutic programs in the therapy of ODD/CD. The drug treatment is proposed to be used only in the severe cases, or in the cases when psychotherapeutic methods are not effective.