He's not being naughty he's an ODD child

London Telegraph

Children who behave badly are no longer described as naughty but suffering from Oppositional Defiant Disorder - or ODD syndrome.

The condition, which was established by scientists in America, is said mainly to affect children under 10 and result in a number of disruptive symptoms including defiance, provocative conduct and disobedience.

Literature on the subject says that sufferers "argue persistently with adults", "actively refuse to comply with adults' requests or rules" and "often deliberately annoy people". Other ODD children are said to "consistently blame others for their own misbehaviour"....


Psychologists and child specialists, however, question the use of such labels and say that the problem lies with the shortcomings of the adults who care for them, not the children. Attributing bad behaviour to a medical "disorder" allows parents to abdicate responsibility, they claim.

Dr Gareth Vincenti, a consultant psychiatrist and the medical director of the Harrogate Clinic, a mental health hospital, said that the over-use of medical terms gave many children an excuse to run riot. "You're medicalising behaviour by saying, 'Oh, you've got a condition', then straightaway it is not the child's fault or the parents' fault," he said.....


ODD is one of about 300 classified mental disorders - most identified in the US - that doctors and psychologists use to explain bad behaviour. Some of these "conduct disorders" are considered to be treatable with drugs such as Ritalin. [emphasis mine]

ODD. How perfect. One more acronym: P.H.A.R.M.A. Can't write a prescription for "naughty" or "latchkey".

Stop the merry-go-round, I want to get off.