Psychiatry as a Means of Social Control - Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

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Psychiatry as a Means of Social Control - Oppositional Defiant Disorder

(ODD)

Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. - 1/9/2007

If you are a rebellious child or teenager and you have not been

diagnosed with Conduct Disorder, you are still at risk of being

labelled and pathologized. The DSM informs us that " The essential

feature of Oppositional Defiant Disorder is a recurrent pattern of

negativistic, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior towards

authority figures that persists for at least 6 months. "

Unbelievable as this Orwellian, Big Brother text is - it gets worse. If

you are under 18 years old and you lose your temper, argue with adults,

actively " defy or refuse to comply with the requests or rules of

adults " , deliberately do things that annoy said adults, blame others

for your mistakes or misbehavior - then unquestionably you are a sick

little puppy. And who is to make these value judgements? An adult

psychologist or psychiatrist or social worker or therapist. And what if

you disagree with these authorities? They get annoyed and this is proof

positive that you are afflicted with Oppositional Defiant Disorder

(ODD). Did anyone mention catch-22?

And the charade continues, masquerading as " science " . If you are touchy

or get easily annoyed (for instance by the half-baked diagnoses

rendered by certain mental health practitioners), you are ODD (i.e.,

you suffer from Oppositional Defiant Disorder).You are allowed to be

touchy when you are an adult - it is then called assertiveness. You are

allowed to get pissed off when you are above the crucial (though

utterly arbitrary) age limit. Then it is called " expressing your

emotions " , which is by and large a good thing.So tell us the charlatans

that call themselves mental health 'professionals' (as though

psychology is an exact science, not merely an elaborate literary

exercise).

The DSM, this manual of the Potemkin science known as clinical

psychology, continues to enlighten us:

If you are habitually angry and resentful, spiteful or vindictive and

these traits impair your " normal " social, academic, or occupational

functioning (whatever " normal " means in today's pluralistic and anomic

culture), beware: you may be harbouring Oppositional Defiant Disorder

(ODD). It is not clear what the DSM means by 'occupational' when

Oppositional Defiant Disorder typically applies to primary school age

children. Perhaps we will find out in the DSM V.

" The behaviors must occur more frequently than is typically observed in

individuals of comparable age and developmental level. " - the DSM

helpfully elaborates. If the child is psychotic or suffers from a mood

disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder should not be diagnosed.

Why am I bothering you with this tripe? Because the DSM is ominously

clear:

" The diagnosis is not made if ... criteria are met for Conduct Disorder

or Antisocial Personality Disorder (in an individual above the age of

18). "

Get this straight: if you are above the age of 18 and you are stubborn,

resistant to directions, " unwilling to compromise, give in, or

negotiate with adults and peers " , ignore orders, argue, fail to accept

blame for misdeeds, and deliberately annoy others - you stand a good

chance of being " diagnosed " as a psychopath.

Let us hope that the " scholars " of the DSM V Committee have the good

sense to remove this blatant tool of social control from the Diagnostic

and Statistical Manual. But don't count on it and don't argue with them

if they don't. They may diagnose you with something.

Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism

Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. In addition

to writing for the Global Politician, he served as a columnist for

Central Europe Review, PopMatters, Bellaonline, and eBookWeb, a United

Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor

of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open

Directory and Suite101.

Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of

Macedonia. Sam Vaknin's Web site is at http://samvak.tripod.com

[Guest guest]

http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=2434 & cid=12 & sid=89

Psychiatry as a Means of Social Control - Oppositional Defiant Disorder

(ODD)

Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. - 1/9/2007

If you are a rebellious child or teenager and you have not been

diagnosed with Conduct Disorder, you are still at risk of being

labelled and pathologized. The DSM informs us that " The essential

feature of Oppositional Defiant Disorder is a recurrent pattern of

negativistic, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior towards

authority figures that persists for at least 6 months. "

Unbelievable as this Orwellian, Big Brother text is - it gets worse. If

you are under 18 years old and you lose your temper, argue with adults,

actively " defy or refuse to comply with the requests or rules of

adults " , deliberately do things that annoy said adults, blame others

for your mistakes or misbehavior - then unquestionably you are a sick

little puppy. And who is to make these value judgements? An adult

psychologist or psychiatrist or social worker or therapist. And what if

you disagree with these authorities? They get annoyed and this is proof

positive that you are afflicted with Oppositional Defiant Disorder

(ODD). Did anyone mention catch-22?

And the charade continues, masquerading as " science " . If you are touchy

or get easily annoyed (for instance by the half-baked diagnoses

rendered by certain mental health practitioners), you are ODD (i.e.,

you suffer from Oppositional Defiant Disorder).You are allowed to be

touchy when you are an adult - it is then called assertiveness. You are

allowed to get pissed off when you are above the crucial (though

utterly arbitrary) age limit. Then it is called " expressing your

emotions " , which is by and large a good thing.So tell us the charlatans

that call themselves mental health 'professionals' (as though

psychology is an exact science, not merely an elaborate literary

exercise).

The DSM, this manual of the Potemkin science known as clinical

psychology, continues to enlighten us:

If you are habitually angry and resentful, spiteful or vindictive and

these traits impair your " normal " social, academic, or occupational

functioning (whatever " normal " means in today's pluralistic and anomic

culture), beware: you may be harbouring Oppositional Defiant Disorder

(ODD). It is not clear what the DSM means by 'occupational' when

Oppositional Defiant Disorder typically applies to primary school age

children. Perhaps we will find out in the DSM V.

" The behaviors must occur more frequently than is typically observed in

individuals of comparable age and developmental level. " - the DSM

helpfully elaborates. If the child is psychotic or suffers from a mood

disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder should not be diagnosed.

Why am I bothering you with this tripe? Because the DSM is ominously

clear:

" The diagnosis is not made if ... criteria are met for Conduct Disorder

or Antisocial Personality Disorder (in an individual above the age of

18). "

Get this straight: if you are above the age of 18 and you are stubborn,

resistant to directions, " unwilling to compromise, give in, or

negotiate with adults and peers " , ignore orders, argue, fail to accept

blame for misdeeds, and deliberately annoy others - you stand a good

chance of being " diagnosed " as a psychopath.

Let us hope that the " scholars " of the DSM V Committee have the good

sense to remove this blatant tool of social control from the Diagnostic

and Statistical Manual. But don't count on it and don't argue with them

if they don't. They may diagnose you with something.

Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism

Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. In addition

to writing for the Global Politician, he served as a columnist for

Central Europe Review, PopMatters, Bellaonline, and eBookWeb, a United

Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor

of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open

Directory and Suite101.

Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of

Macedonia. Sam Vaknin's Web site is at http://samvak.tripod.com

[Guest guest]

http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=2434 & cid=12 & sid=89

Psychiatry as a Means of Social Control - Oppositional Defiant Disorder

(ODD)

Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. - 1/9/2007

If you are a rebellious child or teenager and you have not been

diagnosed with Conduct Disorder, you are still at risk of being

labelled and pathologized. The DSM informs us that " The essential

feature of Oppositional Defiant Disorder is a recurrent pattern of

negativistic, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior towards

authority figures that persists for at least 6 months. "

Unbelievable as this Orwellian, Big Brother text is - it gets worse. If

you are under 18 years old and you lose your temper, argue with adults,

actively " defy or refuse to comply with the requests or rules of

adults " , deliberately do things that annoy said adults, blame others

for your mistakes or misbehavior - then unquestionably you are a sick

little puppy. And who is to make these value judgements? An adult

psychologist or psychiatrist or social worker or therapist. And what if

you disagree with these authorities? They get annoyed and this is proof

positive that you are afflicted with Oppositional Defiant Disorder

(ODD). Did anyone mention catch-22?

And the charade continues, masquerading as " science " . If you are touchy

or get easily annoyed (for instance by the half-baked diagnoses

rendered by certain mental health practitioners), you are ODD (i.e.,

you suffer from Oppositional Defiant Disorder).You are allowed to be

touchy when you are an adult - it is then called assertiveness. You are

allowed to get pissed off when you are above the crucial (though

utterly arbitrary) age limit. Then it is called " expressing your

emotions " , which is by and large a good thing.So tell us the charlatans

that call themselves mental health 'professionals' (as though

psychology is an exact science, not merely an elaborate literary

exercise).

The DSM, this manual of the Potemkin science known as clinical

psychology, continues to enlighten us:

If you are habitually angry and resentful, spiteful or vindictive and

these traits impair your " normal " social, academic, or occupational

functioning (whatever " normal " means in today's pluralistic and anomic

culture), beware: you may be harbouring Oppositional Defiant Disorder

(ODD). It is not clear what the DSM means by 'occupational' when

Oppositional Defiant Disorder typically applies to primary school age

children. Perhaps we will find out in the DSM V.

" The behaviors must occur more frequently than is typically observed in

individuals of comparable age and developmental level. " - the DSM

helpfully elaborates. If the child is psychotic or suffers from a mood

disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder should not be diagnosed.

Why am I bothering you with this tripe? Because the DSM is ominously

clear:

" The diagnosis is not made if ... criteria are met for Conduct Disorder

or Antisocial Personality Disorder (in an individual above the age of

18). "

Get this straight: if you are above the age of 18 and you are stubborn,

resistant to directions, " unwilling to compromise, give in, or

negotiate with adults and peers " , ignore orders, argue, fail to accept

blame for misdeeds, and deliberately annoy others - you stand a good

chance of being " diagnosed " as a psychopath.

Let us hope that the " scholars " of the DSM V Committee have the good

sense to remove this blatant tool of social control from the Diagnostic

and Statistical Manual. But don't count on it and don't argue with them

if they don't. They may diagnose you with something.

Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism

Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. In addition

to writing for the Global Politician, he served as a columnist for

Central Europe Review, PopMatters, Bellaonline, and eBookWeb, a United

Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor

of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open

Directory and Suite101.

Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of

Macedonia. Sam Vaknin's Web site is at http://samvak.tripod.com

[Guest guest]

http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=2434 & cid=12 & sid=89

Psychiatry as a Means of Social Control - Oppositional Defiant Disorder

(ODD)

Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. - 1/9/2007

If you are a rebellious child or teenager and you have not been

diagnosed with Conduct Disorder, you are still at risk of being

labelled and pathologized. The DSM informs us that " The essential

feature of Oppositional Defiant Disorder is a recurrent pattern of

negativistic, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior towards

authority figures that persists for at least 6 months. "

Unbelievable as this Orwellian, Big Brother text is - it gets worse. If

you are under 18 years old and you lose your temper, argue with adults,

actively " defy or refuse to comply with the requests or rules of

adults " , deliberately do things that annoy said adults, blame others

for your mistakes or misbehavior - then unquestionably you are a sick

little puppy. And who is to make these value judgements? An adult

psychologist or psychiatrist or social worker or therapist. And what if

you disagree with these authorities? They get annoyed and this is proof

positive that you are afflicted with Oppositional Defiant Disorder

(ODD). Did anyone mention catch-22?

And the charade continues, masquerading as " science " . If you are touchy

or get easily annoyed (for instance by the half-baked diagnoses

rendered by certain mental health practitioners), you are ODD (i.e.,

you suffer from Oppositional Defiant Disorder).You are allowed to be

touchy when you are an adult - it is then called assertiveness. You are

allowed to get pissed off when you are above the crucial (though

utterly arbitrary) age limit. Then it is called " expressing your

emotions " , which is by and large a good thing.So tell us the charlatans

that call themselves mental health 'professionals' (as though

psychology is an exact science, not merely an elaborate literary

exercise).

The DSM, this manual of the Potemkin science known as clinical

psychology, continues to enlighten us:

If you are habitually angry and resentful, spiteful or vindictive and

these traits impair your " normal " social, academic, or occupational

functioning (whatever " normal " means in today's pluralistic and anomic

culture), beware: you may be harbouring Oppositional Defiant Disorder

(ODD). It is not clear what the DSM means by 'occupational' when

Oppositional Defiant Disorder typically applies to primary school age

children. Perhaps we will find out in the DSM V.

" The behaviors must occur more frequently than is typically observed in

individuals of comparable age and developmental level. " - the DSM

helpfully elaborates. If the child is psychotic or suffers from a mood

disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder should not be diagnosed.

Why am I bothering you with this tripe? Because the DSM is ominously

clear:

" The diagnosis is not made if ... criteria are met for Conduct Disorder

or Antisocial Personality Disorder (in an individual above the age of

18). "

Get this straight: if you are above the age of 18 and you are stubborn,

resistant to directions, " unwilling to compromise, give in, or

negotiate with adults and peers " , ignore orders, argue, fail to accept

blame for misdeeds, and deliberately annoy others - you stand a good

chance of being " diagnosed " as a psychopath.

Let us hope that the " scholars " of the DSM V Committee have the good

sense to remove this blatant tool of social control from the Diagnostic

and Statistical Manual. But don't count on it and don't argue with them

if they don't. They may diagnose you with something.

Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism

Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. In addition

to writing for the Global Politician, he served as a columnist for

Central Europe Review, PopMatters, Bellaonline, and eBookWeb, a United

Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor

of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open

Directory and Suite101.

Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of

Macedonia. Sam Vaknin's Web site is at http://samvak.tripod.com

[Guest guest]

The DSM is supposed to be and can only ever be a guide. It is there,

supposedly, to HELP clinicians and professionals in their assessments

BUT the clinicians themselves are supposed to make judgements based

upon what they themselves observe and think.

This process is NOT PERFECT and should be accepted as so. All human

judgements and observations are inherenly 'flawed' because no clinician

is able to separate their personal opinions from their professional

ones entirely. If if they can (which is rare), these

professional, 'professionally objective' observations and opinions are

not perfect.

Literal thinking lies at the root of the errors made regarding the DSM,

IMHO! Too many 'psychiatric professionals' who make use of the DSM,

suffer from this type of rigid, literal thinking which in itself can be

pathological! The road to mental health is an art as much as it is a

science. The rules sometimes change, the diagnosis can change many

times as well.