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sarahsweets · Feb 16, 2020 at 07:21 AM

ODD is something that is exhibited in childhood. It is something that gets diagnosed in childhood but it doesnt mean an adult cant have it. Often the child is misdiagnosed and overlooked and left to flounder with no diagnosis.

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The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association, lists criteria for diagnosing ODD. The DSM-5 criteria include emotional and behavioral symptoms that last at least six months.

Angry and irritable mood:

Often and easily loses temper
Is frequently touchy and easily annoyed by others
Is often angry and resentful
Argumentative and defiant behavior:

Often argues with adults or people in authority
Often actively defies or refuses to comply with adults' requests or rules
Often deliberately annoys or upsets people
Often blames others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior
Vindictiveness:

Is often spiteful or vindictive
Has shown spiteful or vindictive behavior at least twice in the past six months
ODD can vary in severity:

Mild. Symptoms occur only in one setting, such as only at home, school, work or with peers.
Moderate. Some symptoms occur in at least two settings.
Severe. Some symptoms occur in three or more settings.
For some children, symptoms may first be seen only at home, but with time extend to other settings, such as school and with friends.

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Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Adults
Adults with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) display a pattern of negative, hostile, and defiant behavior that lasts at least six months and includes four (or more) of the following symptoms:

Often loses temper
Often argues with family and coworkers
Actively defies or refuses to comply with rules and laws
Deliberately annoys people
Blames others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior
Easily annoyed by others
Angry and resentful
Spiteful or vindictive
Adults with ODD are more than just aggressive and irritating from time to time. They feel mad at the world every day, and lose their temper regularly. This may manifest as verbal abuse or road rage. Adults with ODD defend themselves relentlessly when someone says they’ve done something wrong. They feel misunderstood and disliked, hemmed in, and pushed around.

Constant opposition to authority figures makes it difficult for adults with ODD to keep jobs and to maintain relationships and marriages. They are particularly quick to anger, they are impatient, and they have a low tolerance for frustration. They see themselves as mistreated, misunderstood, and unappreciated. They see themselves as the victim rather than the cause of the pain in the family system.

[Take This Self-Test: Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Adults]

Causes of Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Adults
ODD has a strongly genetic component. It runs in families and several people in the same family may be affected. It often begins in childhood with patterns of rebellion against adults and their rules. Some children with ODD outgrow the condition by age eight or nine. But about half of them continue to experience symptoms of ODD through adulthood.

People with ODD report feeling angry all of the time, and about 40 percent of them become progressively worse and develop antisocial personality disorder. Understanding ODD can help provide a neurological explanation for gut-wrenching feelings, and is an important first step to finding treatment.

[Click to Read: Why Am I So Angry All the Time?]

Symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Adults at Home
Your spouse seems overly argumentative. Your roommate is unnecessarily hostile. These and other common manifestations of ODD may be apparent at home:

Always needs to win the argument with a parent or spouse
Continues to fight against ‘the man’ — authority figures and society
Leaves socks on the floor just because he knows it annoys his roommate
Cited for disorderly conduct by police
Involved in bar brawls or physical altercations in public
Has a hair-trigger temper — the littlest thing can set her off
Symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Adults at Work
These or similar manifestations of ODD may be apparent at work:

Near constant arguments with a boss or coworkers
Commonly feeling oppressed by office rules
Purposely engaging in behaviors that irritate coworkers, like eating smelly foods for lunch
Sanctioned by human resources for violating company policies
Fired for being physically aggressive with coworkers in heated moments
Has meltdowns during meetings or annual reviews after receiving constructive criticism
If you experience these or similar symptoms of ODD, consult a doctor or mental-health professional for a formal assessment.