Question

Identify the differences between Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder. Identify and discuss an effective treatment for one of the two disorders.

Answer 1

• The most common types of disruptive behavior disorders include oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder. The main difference between these two disorders is the severity of the symptoms; conduct disorder is often considered the more serious of the two disorders.
• A key difference between ODD and conduct disorder lies in the role of control. Kids who are oppositional or defiant will fight against being controlled. Kids who have begun to move—or have already moved—into conduct disorder will fight not only against being controlled, but will attempt to control others as well.
  
• Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is characterized by a recurrent pattern of negative, defiant, hostile, and disobedient behaviors toward authority figures for six months or longer. Children with ODD often lose their temper, argue with adults over rules or requests. They may become easily annoyed by other people and blame others for their mistakes or misbehavior. Children with ODD often become angry, resentful, spiteful, and vindictive to others. While all children – and people – are capable of displaying these behaviors, children who have ODD display these behaviors more often than others their age. These behaviors severely impact the social, occupational, or academic functioning of the child.
• Conduct disorder (CD) is often called “delinquency” is the more serious of the disruptive behavior disorders as it involves a higher amount of cruelty. Children and teens who have CD may show aggression toward other people and animals, willfully destroy property, stealing, lying, and truancy. It’s thought that disruptive behavior disorders exist along a spectrum and oppositional defiant disorder may progress into CD.
  
• Treatment for conduct disorder is complicated by the negative attitudes the disorder instills. As such, psychotherapy and behavioral therapy are often undertaken for long periods of time, and the entire family and support network of the child is brought into the loop. The earlier the condition is diagnosed, the more successful the therapy will be. While a child learns a better way to interact with the world at large, the family learns the best ways to communicate with him.
• In younger children, treatment for CD can resemble treatment for ODD—parent management training may be undertaken by a therapist to teach parents how to encourage desired behaviors. In adolescents, therapy may target not just the home life but interactions with authority figures at school, and ensuring that peer relations are beneficial, not harmful.
• Behavioral strategies used during treatment of Conduct Disorder focus on reducing blame (parents often blame themselves for creating the problem in addition to blaming their child), increasing parental monitoring and supervision of children's behavior (e.g., role-playing, teaching), and on implementing behavioral contracting.