Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or ODD for short, is a diagnosis that is applied to children who display such frequent and aggressive defiance of their parents that it disrupts the lives of those within the family.
According to the Mayo Clinic Web site, as many as one in 10 children may have oppositional defiant disorder in a lifetime, and it is often associated with other childhood behavioral disorders, such as ADD.
Galynker says the roots of this disorder are most likely genetic; aggression, he says, is one of the most highly inherited qualities. And genetic links to the kind of aggression seen in children with ODD have been proven in twin studies. Based on this, he says, ODD is likely a very real disorder.
"It's their internal characteristic to argue with their parents," he says. "Some deal better with this, while others deal worse."
An official diagnosis of ODD would likely be met first with counseling, and later with medications to help control a child's behavior. Parents may also receive counseling in order to learn more about how to control their children's behavior.
But many would argue that the blame should be more squarely placed on nurture than nature -- in order words, that parenting styles are more likely to be responsible for this disorder than genes. Ongur says it is little surprise that this may be the commonly held perception.
"For these disorders, I think it makes sense for the lay person to have that kind of reaction -- not because they are fake disorders, but because of the way it plays out in society," he notes.
Hadler, however, has a different take -- that ODD is yet another example of the medicalization of commonly seen behavior.
"No young child can be a brat anymore," he says. "Now, what right do we have to do that?"
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