A Case Report of the Treatment of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in a Non-Specialist, Resource-Limited Environment Using the Co-care Approach

Abstract

As the incidence of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) continues to grow, non-specialist mental health providers, particularly those in rural and remote areas, were access to mental health services are limited, will be increasingly called upon to treat this disorder. This will be particularly true for general practitioners, family physicians, paediatricians, mid-level providers and others, given the relative scarcity of clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and mental health providers in such settings. It is important for non-mental health specialists to recognise and have a basic understanding of how ODD can be treated in such settings. As such, this case report presents a typical ODD patient in such a setting, and details the course of the successful treatment of the patient using a variety of approaches, including parent-child interaction training, family therapy, social skills training, problem solving training in a co-care arrangement with a specialist mental health provider.

Keywords: Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ODD, Mental Health, Resource-Limited Environment, Psychology, Psychiatry, Parent-Child Interaction Training, Family Therapy, Social Skills Training, Problem Solving Training