Tikkabik

So, like I said, Robert has Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). A casual understanding of ODD leads many people think that it's just some academicians and psychologists slapping a label on normal male adolescent and pre-adolescent behavior: Kids (disproportionately boys) who are quick-tempered, argumentative, defiant, vindictive and so on. Nothing could be further from the truth: For one thing, this is a diagnosis in the DSM IV -- that's the "red book" that doctors use.

What separates ODD kids is not only in the extremity of their emotion but also the duration. While it's normal for all kids -- especially boys -- to be occasionally defiant and oppositional, it's not normal for it to last as long as it does or to be as extreme as it is in ODD kids. ODD is, put simply, a recurring pattern of negative behavior that lasts for six months or longer that involves the kid losing his temper, arguing frequently with adults, deliberately annoying other people, actively defying the requests of adults, blaming others for his own misbehavior, being easily annoyed, being angry and resentful, and being spiteful and vindictive.

In Robert's case and in the case of others with ODD, this isn't just an occasional thing, and that's important to emphasize. This is a constant pattern of behavior. It doesn't stop Robert from making friends and being a social and loving kid. It does, however, create a lot of friction with authority figures, like teachers and school administrators.

It surprises me, given the frequency with which ODD pops up (by some estimates, 2 to 16 percent of the general population), that the school administration at Robert's school is as taken aback as they have been by his behavior in the past. The old principal was absolutely mystified when Robert showed vindictive behavior toward another schoolmate who had gotten him in trouble some months before.

Bonnie and I learned a bit more about ODD in a 12-part workshop we're doing that's been sponsored by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) in our area, and it's pretty interesting. The bottom line is that Robert pegs into the red for just about every trait found in a diagnosis of ODD. Fortunately it's treatable, and we're doing the right thing by involving him in therapy, psychiatric medication and behavior modification.

Kids who exhibit ODD symptoms can, untreated and left in environments where it can fester, anyway, can sometimes develop full-blown Conduct Disorder (CD) or Antisocial Personality Disorder. These are the real nutjobs you may remember from school, who are, in all likelihood, now serving time in your local state or federal pen: The kids who tortured animals, who set fire to things, who stole, who broke into your house or someone else's, who may have been molested or assaulted, who engaged in risky and just downright dangerous behavior.

If there's a silver lining behind this particular cloud, it's that Robert isn't exhibiting any of the signs that might lead us or his doctors to think that he'll end up suffering from Conduct Disorder or worse, and obviously he's in a low-risk environment for developing those symptoms.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, as they say, so I suppose Bonnie and I won't know if we've made a difference for a while yet. But one way or another, we're doing whatever we can to better understand and deal with it. Recognizing that there is a problem is the first step towards finding a solution for it.