Angry Adolescent
Main Discussion
The Case Study of Angry Adolescent. The case study selected for the discussion included an adolescent female who appears to be extremely upset. The first video presented the client exhibiting extreme anger. The client as observed in the first video, appeared to be highly disrespectful towards the therapist and refuses to discuss anything. The client was also observed to have misbehaved with the therapist. In the second video, it was observed that the therapist succeeded to initiate a productive discussion with the client, which revealed significant points regarding the personality of the client. The client was identified to be a popular girl at her school; however, she reported having anger-related issues. The client’s behavior indicated that she is most likely to be suffering from oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). The ODD is a form of disruptive behavior disorder in which the client experiences irritable or angry mood, vindictiveness, and disobedient behavior (Cavanagh, et al., 2017). Clients experiencing ODD finds it difficult to keep their anger under control and exhibits a rebellious and noncompliant behavior (Cavanagh, et al., 2017).
DSM-5 Criteria
The DSM-5 criteria for the diagnosis of ODD require that the client experience a pattern of irritable mood or anger, aggressive or rebellious behavior, or vindictiveness for a minimum duration of six months (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). According to the American Psychiatric Association (2013), the DSM-5 criteria for ODD requires that the client must exhibit a minimum of four of the following symptoms:
Frequent loss of temper
Frequent anger and resentment
Frequently irritable or get annoyed easily
Frequent arguments with authoritative figures
Frequent denial to follow orders
Frequently upsets others
Frequently place blame on others for own mistakes
Remains mean or spiteful
Because the patient exhibited anger towards the therapist and behaved disrespectfully, it is suggested that the client is experiencing ODD. The client exhibited no fear of the consequences of her actions for being noncompliant.