Defiant disorder, officially called "oppositional defiance disorder," by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is a childhood onset mental illness that involves disobedient and maladaptive behaviors. The DSM-IV describes a child with this mental illness to have "a pattern of defiant, angry, antagonistic, hostile, irritable or vindictive behavior." This type of attitude will last at least six months and cause significant impairment in social, academic or occupational functioning. Given the difficulty this can cause parents, schools and families, scientists are interested in all types of treatment, including nutrients and herbs. Check with your doctor before embarking on an herbal regimen.
Neurotransmitters and Defiant Behavior
The research on herbs and nutrients that may help treat defiant behavior is nonexistent. This is partly due to the fact that scientists are still learning about the neurotransmitters involved in the development of defiant disorders. In 2008, researchers in Stockholm examined the role of serotonin and dopamine pathways in children with attention deficit disorder and defiant or disruptive behavior issues. Their results, which were published in the journal "Biomedical Psychiatry" suggest that girls and boys with diminished or disrupted dopaminergic and serotonergic systems were more likely to exhibit oppositional defiant behaviors. They go on to state that this data holds implications for genetic transmission of the disorder.
Hormones and Childhood Disobedience
Hormonal differences in boys and girls with and without disruptive behaviors have important treatment implications in terms of what external factors, medicinal or natural, may help. Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center investigated hormone levels in both genders in the presence or absence of defiance and then cross referenced the groups to look for contextual discrepancies. Their results, which were published in a 2009 issue of the journal "Biological Psychology" revealed that the defiant group had higher levels of androstenedione, the steroid that produces testosterone and estrogen, than control groups. Additionally, cortisol levels were noted to be lower in healthy girls than in defiant boys. This study points to the need for more research into the complex relationship between hormones and disruptive behavior.
Foreign Compounds May Exacerbate Defiance
In addition to the fact that research remains unclear as to the role of vitamins and herbs in defiant disorders, some evidence shows that external ingested compounds can make the problem worse. In 2007 doctors from the Medical University of South Carolina published a case study of a young boy whose already oppositional defiant behavior was exacerbated by the ingestion of camphor. Camphor is a compound that is found in certain trees, and 20 percent of dried rosemary can contain the substance. The details of this particular case, which were published in the "Southern Medical Journal," describe how the child was exposed to camphor via cold medicine and experienced extreme flu-like symptoms. The authors suggest that parents be aware of herbs and chemicals that may have harmful interactions with other medical or psychological conditions.
Treatment Implications
Since research does not validate the use of herbs to treat defiance, it is reasonable to consider what kinds of inventions do help. In 2007, researchers in Australia focused on parental intervention to help kids with defiant disorders. They enrolled 94 parents in a discipline-based program called Parent Management Training and asked them to rate their child's behavior before, immediately after and five months following the training. Their results, which were published in the journal "Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry," revealed that there was a significant reduction in defiant symptoms that held up after the training was completed. The authors suggest that perhaps behavioral methods remain the cornerstone of the treatment for defiant disorders.
References
- "The Diagnostic and Statistcal Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Revised"; The American Psychiatric Association; 1994
- "Biomedical Psychiatry"; ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Scores: Associations With MAO-A and 5-HTT Genes and With Platelet MAO-B Activity in Adolescents; K. Malmberg, et al.; August 2008
- "Biological Psychology"; Salivary Gonadal and Adrenal Hormone Differences in Boys and Girls With and Without Disruptive Behavior Disorders: Contextual Variants; L.D. Dorn, et al., January 2009
- "Southern Medical Journal"; Camphor Ingestion in a 10-year-old Male; K.R. Ragucci, et al.; February 2007
- "Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry"; Parent Management Training as a Treatment for Children With Oppositional Defiant Disorder Referred to a Mental Health Clinic; J. Costin and S.M. Chambers; April 2007
