First of all, isn't it true that HLA claims that all the children they accept must meet certain criteria, including being diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)?
Secondly, if so, why was I admitted? The Ed Con who referred me to HLA never met me, but decided I was ODD based on my mother's description of my behavior. Is an Ed Con (or the Admission Staff at HLA for that matter) licensed to diagnose a disorder in a child, much less one they've never met?
If you read the definition of ODD I posted below, a few things might stand out to you, as they did to me.
1. the definition is ridiculously vague. all of those behaviors are typical of teenagers to some degree, and the criteria that the child present the behaviors "more frequently than is typically observed in individuals of comparable age and developmental level" is ENTIRELY subjective.
2. the criterion that these "behaviors do not occur exclusively during the course of a Psychotic or Mood Disorder."
Mood disorders include depression and bipolar disorder. So someone would have to rule out that the child was bipolar or depressed before diagnosing them with ODD...OR if they WERE depressed or bipolar, they would have to be monitored over a period of at least several months to determine if the ODD type behaviors exhibited themselves while the child was not in a depressive or bipolar episode.
3. the definition doesn't take drug use into consideration. An otherwise well-adjusted kid might start experimenting with drugs with his/her friends ( NOT "more frequently" than them) and their behavior while under the influence might fit the ODD definition, even though while sober it would not. Drug use is pretty high among teenagers, and acting "ODD" while high just makes you belligerent on that drug, not necessarily truly ODD. Drug use is NOT a symptom of ODD. And for those that would argue that using drugs IS defiant because it is illegal, let me remind you that the child would have to use/abuse drugs MORE frequently than other kids their age (or other kids at their development level).
Here are some stats from
http://www.teendrugabuse.us/:
"- Illicit teen drug use as of 2003.
* 8th grade -- 30.3%
* 10th grade -- 44.9%
* 12th grade -- 52.8%
- In the last thirty days 50% of teenagers report drinking with 32% being drunk at least on one occasion."
So, you can see that as of four years ago it was actually more likely, and more normal, for a high school senior to use drugs. Doesn't fit the definition, does it?
4. the definition doesn't take PRESCRIPTION drugs into consideration. The side effects of many Rx drugs (especially those to treat ADD/ADHD) are well known to cause changes in a child's mood or behavior. For example, Anti-depressants are now known to cause suicidal tendencies in some children and medications such as Ritalin (and it's ilk) are amphetamines for god's sake!
My parents jumped on the ADD bandwagon and made me take meds to treat my alleged ADD. They decided I had ADD because of my low math grades... (turns out I have a learning disability in mathematics called dyscalculia and was never ADD after all (':-?')... hahaha...ha..) So these meds just got me super-jacked for a while at school and by the time I got home I was coming down from my amphetamine high, leaving me irritable, short-tempered, mean, and pretty much all the ODD symptoms when I was around my parents! Did they, my Ed Con, or HLA ever take the fact that I was being unwillingly dosed with uppers into consideration when deciding I was ODD??!
Lastly, I want to know how many of you or your children were told by HLA or an Ed Con that you (or your child) was ODD? Did a psychiatrist diagnose any of you, or at least confirm what you were told?
Does anyone know of a child who was rejected from HLA?
Did HLA EVER tell ANY family that their child WASN'T ODD?
And to all Staff... can you shed any light on this?
Do you have the candor, integrity, or veracity to?
I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts and opinions about ODD and HLA's credentials/ lack thereof for declaring a child ODD, and therefore fit for admission...
The DSM-IV (the psychiatry/psychology "bible" for diagnosis and treatment of mental heath issues) definition is below.
(From
http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/odd.htm)
Diagnostic criteria for 313.81 Oppositional Defiant Disorder:
A. A pattern of negativistic, hostile, and defiant behavior lasting at least 6 months, during which four (or more) of the following are present:
(1) often loses temper
(2) often argues with adults
(3) often actively defies or refuses to comply with adults' requests or rules
(4) often deliberately annoys people
(5) often blames others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior
(6) is often touchy or easily annoyed by others
(7) is often angry and resentful
(
is often spiteful or vindictive
Note: Consider a criterion met only if the behavior occurs more frequently than is typically observed in individuals of comparable age and developmental level.
B. The disturbance in behavior causes clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning.
C. The behaviors do not occur exclusively during the course of a Psychotic or Mood Disorder.
D. Criteria are not met for Conduct Disorder, and, if the individual is age 18 years or older, criteria are not met for Antisocial Personality Disorder.
