Adult: ASD, ADD, ADHD, ODD,
By Janice Rodden
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.
[Self-Test: Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Adults]
Causes of ODD in Adults
ODD may be genetic. It often begins in childhood with patterns of rebellion against adults and their rules, particularly those that try to make children with attention deficit disorder (
ADHD or ADD) behave in ways that their brains simply can’t. 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.
These people 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.
[Why Am I So Angry All the Time?]
Symptoms of ODD 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 ODD 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
- Previously fired for pushing coworkers in heated moments
- Has meltdowns during meetings or annual reviews after receiving constructive criticism
-By Janice Rodden
By ADDitude Editors
ADHD/ADD Symptom Test for Adults:
Check each of the following statements that apply to you…
1. I have difficulty getting organized.
2. When given a task, I usually procrastinate rather than doing it right away.
3. I work on a lot of projects, but can’t seem to complete most of them.
4. I tend to make decisions and act on them impulsively — like spending money, getting sexually involved with someone, diving into new activities, and changing plans.
5. I get bored easily.
6. No matter how much I do or how hard I try, I just can’t seem to reach my goals.
7. I often get distracted when people are talking; I just tune out or drift off.
8. I get so wrapped up in some things I do that I can hardly stop to take a break or switch to doing something else.
9. I tend to overdo things even when they’re not good for me — like compulsive shopping, drinking too much, overworking, and overeating.
10. I get frustrated easily and I get impatient when things are going too slowly.
11. My self-esteem is not as high as that of others I know.
12. I need a lot of stimulation from things like action movies and video games, new purchases, being among lively friends, driving fast or engaging in extreme sports.
13. I tend to say or do things without thinking, and sometimes that gets me into trouble.
14. I’d rather do things my own way than follow the rules and procedures of others.
15. I often find myself tapping a pencil, swinging my leg, or doing something else to work off nervous energy.
- 16. I can feel suddenly down when I’m separated from people, projects or things that I like to be involved with.
17. I see myself differently than others see me, and when someone gets angry with me for doing something that upset them I’m often very surprised.
18. Even though I worry a lot about dangerous things that are unlikely to happen to me, I tend to be careless and accident prone.
19. Even though I have a lot of fears, people would describe me as a risk taker.
20. I make a lot of careless mistakes.
21. I have blood relatives who suffer from ADHD, another neurological disorder, or substance abuse.
If you answered yes to 15 of these questions, it is likely that you have attention deficit disorder (ADHD). However, you can still have ADHD even if you answered yes to fewer than 15 of these questions. This informal test is intended as a general guide only.
What To Do Next:
1. Take This Test: ADHD / ADD Symptoms in Adults
2. Take This Test: Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria in Adults
3. Take This Test: Emotional Hyperarousal in Adults
4. Download 6 Steps to a Thorough ADHD Evaluation
5. Find an ADHD specialist nearby in our ADDitude Directory
6. Research Your ADHD Treatment Options
7. Listen to “ADHD in Adults vs. Children” — a Free Webinar with Dr. William Dodson
8. Consult Our Post-Diagnosis Guide for Adults
-By ADDitude Editors
By Janice Rodden, ADDitude Editors
Common ASD symptoms in adults include:
- Difficulty understanding others’ feelings
- Trouble keeping up with conversations
- Inflection that does not reflect feelings
- Strict consistency to daily routines or activities
- Deep knowledge of one particular topic
- Trouble interpreting body language, facial expressions, or social cues
If you think you might show signs of ASD, answer these self-test questions.
- Have you always wanted a best friend, but never found one?
- Do people often refer to you as “quirky” or “eccentric?”
- When having a conversation, do you avoid making eye contact?
- Are expressions like, “Curiosity killed the cat” confusing to you?
- Is your memory like a steel trap, even for facts that you don’t fully understand?
- Do you follow the same routine every day, and dislike unexpected events?
- Do you talk to friends at a party the same way you would talk to co-workers in the office?
- Are you always bumping into things, or tripping over your own feet?
- When you’re in a quiet place, do you make involuntary noises, like clearing your throat, over and over?
- Are you really good at math or music, but struggle in other areas?
If you agreed with a majority of these statements, you may have some characteristics that resemble ASD. Take your results to a healthcare professional and request an evaluation.
