Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 8209

Shown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Posted by John on July 3, 1999, at 16:20:51

My daughters are unhappy with the custody arrangement requiring them to live with their mother and visit me (we both live in the same town and have a 60/40 split). We have tried for years to get a change in custody but without success. When my oldest turned 16 a few days ago she declared she was not going back to mom. Upon being told that I had to make her go back or face contempt charges, she and her sister (age 13) left in her car and have been gone for 2 days now. The psychologist has diagnosed her as Oppositional Defiant based upon this one incident. My reading indicates that this is a diagnosis that must meet several criteria and be persistent for at least 6 months. The girls have never done anything like this before. The are "A" students, leaders on their majorette and flag corps teams, well behaved, respectful, in other words model kids. The are just fed up with a system that denies them the right to live with their father, whom they consider the "better" parent. Can a diagnosis of this type be made from one episode of in my humble opinion "crying out for help"?

Thanks

 

Re: Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Posted by John on July 3, 1999, at 16:26:54

In reply to Oppositional Defiant Disorder, posted by John on July 3, 1999, at 16:20:51

P.S. The kids tell me they will come back home with an assurance from their mother and I that they can stay with me until we can get an appointment next week with their psychologist (different doctor). The first psychologist tells me that if they come home I must take them to Mom. Mom has filed a runaway report and refuses to allow them to come stay with me for even a few days until we can sort this out. My first concern is get them to safety and hash out problems once they are here. The doc and Mom would rather have the kids arrested, providing of course the police find them. They communicate with me every 3-4 hours by cell phone but won't give away any info on location without an assurance that they can stay with me. The say they are not afraid of punishment they just want things to get worked out.

Thanks

 

Re: Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Posted by Danny Sullivan on July 5, 1999, at 22:26:21

In reply to Re: Oppositional Defiant Disorder, posted by John on July 3, 1999, at 16:26:54

I am not a professional therapist of any kind, but Oppositional Defiant Disorder sounds like nonsense. This is especially true given the way you describe your children. Psychologist/psychiatrists are prone to creating labels to fit every situation, regardless of the details (personalities, relationships, etc.) I would take this one with a grain of salt.
> P.S. The kids tell me they will come back home with an assurance from their mother and I that they can stay with me until we can get an appointment next week with their psychologist (different doctor). The first psychologist tells me that if they come home I must take them to Mom. Mom has filed a runaway report and refuses to allow them to come stay with me for even a few days until we can sort this out. My first concern is get them to safety and hash out problems once they are here. The doc and Mom would rather have the kids arrested, providing of course the police find them. They communicate with me every 3-4 hours by cell phone but won't give away any info on location without an assurance that they can stay with me. The say they are not afraid of punishment they just want things to get worked out.
>
> Thanks

 

Re: Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Posted by unlisted on July 21, 1999, at 23:18:01

In reply to Re: Oppositional Defiant Disorder, posted by Danny Sullivan on July 5, 1999, at 22:26:21

> I am not a professional therapist of any kind, but Oppositional Defiant Disorder sounds like nonsense. This is especially true given the way you describe your children. Psychologist/psychiatrists are prone to creating labels to fit every situation, regardless of the details (personalities, relationships, etc.) I would take this one with a grain of salt.
> > P.S. The kids tell me they will come back home with an assurance from their mother and I that they can stay with me until we can get an appointment next week with their psychologist (different doctor). The first psychologist tells me that if they come home I must take them to Mom. Mom has filed a runaway report and refuses to allow them to come stay with me for even a few days until we can sort this out. My first concern is get them to safety and hash out problems once they are here. The doc and Mom would rather have the kids arrested, providing of course the police find them. They communicate with me every 3-4 hours by cell phone but won't give away any info on location without an assurance that they can stay with me. The say they are not afraid of punishment they just want things to get worked out.
> >
> > Thanks

I an not a therapist either but have done research as a Masters of Public Health student and want you to know that my understanding is that there are specific criteria for Oppositional Definant Disorder which your children do not meet if this is the only incident. Look up Oppositional Defiant Disorder in some of the medical/psy listing and you'll find the "official" criteria.


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