ASSOCIATED & CO-EXISTING CONDITIONS

There are two particular psychiatric disorders which can occur alongside Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). These are Conduct Disorder (CD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). These two conditions are not caused by ADD though. They exist alongside it much as dyslexia, tics or Tourette’s syndrome does.

The CD child’s behavior is what you would call "anti-social". They are aggressive and often delinquent. The ODD child is provocative, stubborn, defiant and oppositional which means that they always take the opposite view.

These conditions occur especially in boys. It's believed that the earlier the sufferer is diagnosed and treated, the better the chance of reducing the severity of the symptoms. Therefore the longer the child is left without intervention, the worse the symptoms may become.

Some statistics claim that between 30-60% of ADD children also exhibit these conditions. Oppositional Defiant Disorder is the more common of the two and is generally less severe. Children with ADD and Conduct Disorder are the children you hear of being excluded from school for persistent offending and anti-social behavior.

ODD behaviors include: arguing, defiance, deliberately upsetting others, anger, resentment, obscene language, and spitefulness.

CD behaviors include: aggression, lying, fighting, stealing, absconding, fire-setting, and vandalism These children’s behavior violates the rights of others.

The management of these conditions requires special psychiatric help. Unfortunately children with severe forms of CD have the least chance of finding help. The condition is also largely hereditary. Impulsive adult sufferers may not be able to form relationships, but this does not stop them from having children. Unfortunately for the offspring these behaviors have a high likelihood of being passed on. It is thought that children with ADD do relatively poorly in life, but it has been shown that pure ADD kids can do well and even be extremely successful. It is the ones with ADD and a major degree of ODD and/or CD who do less well. When the symptoms are mild, they respond fairly well to treatment; but the more severe the behaviors, the more powerless the professionals are to help.

When we hear of children who have gone off the rails, it is rarely simply the ADD accounting for this. It is usually the associated problems, particularly Conduct Disorder.

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