Teen girls struggling with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) are faced with a challenge that intensifies their relationships with authority figures. Treatment of ODD involves therapy, special types of training to help build positive family interactions, and possibly medications to treat related mental health conditions. Parents dealing with a teen with ODD needs support. Integrity House has trained therapists, a psychologist, psychiatrist and a team of teen development experts ready to help. It is important for parents to realize that this is a disorder, and that their teen is not merely choosing to be defiant. Often, as parents will attest, troubled teens with ODD will express genuine affection at one moment and intense defiance in the next. Parents feel frustrated, confused and at a loss for what to do. These are not bad kids they are troubled and they can be helped.
Symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder include frequent temper tantrums, regular defiance to adults or authority figures, argumentative behavior with adults, intentional attempts to aggravate siblings, and projecting responsibility for misbehavior onto others. Teens experiencing ODD are easily agitated or angered “at the drop of a hat,” and are often vindictive when they feel they’ve been wronged.
Signs that you, the parent, are having difficulty coping with a troubled teen’s ODD issues include:
- Feeling you are always “walking on eggshells”
- Fearful of what might trigger the next outburst or argument
- Trying to keep the peace
- Saying “No” to your daughter’s request will result in an argument that quickly escalates
- Your family life may seem stressed to the breaking point on a regular basis, especially when the struggling teen is present.
- Whenever you try to “do what’s right” in dealing with the Oppositional Defiant Disorder teenager, setting appropriate boundaries, consequences, etc., it all seems to turn out wrong.
Integrity House offers treatment for ODD with a therapeutic approach which helps the teen first recognize their behavior. The teen often has the “it’s my life, I’ll do what I want” attitude. Integrity House staff apply consistent reinforcement of the rules to help the ten look at their behavior, evaluate it and make positive changes; helping them understand how their actions affect the people around them.
