ODD Daughter possible sociopath

[EvaE]

At the age of 7 my daughter was given the diagnosis of ODD with ADDHD.  We have tried many of the standard medications that seemed to work somewhat, but after the age of 12, she refused to take any.  When she was given the ODD diagnosis, I was also told that children with this disorder can grow up to be a sociopath.  I did not want to believe or accept that so I disregarded the possibility.  Now that she is 13, she is more rebelous than ever and shows no empathy for others especially me when she intentionally hurts my feelings.  She is doing poorly in class and of course it is always the teachers or other students fault for her bad grades.  Even though she has a dog that she says she loves, she can keep her in a kennel for hours on end with no food or water and will only play, feed or exercise at my insistance.  She has became extremely manipulating and has perfected the art of pitting everyone in her life against one another, with me being her biggest scapegoat.  Is it too late to consider school boarding throughout the week?  Will it do more harm than good?  She already claims that no one loves her and she has been abandoned in her life.  Do you have any books that you can reccommend on how to raise a child and instill empathy and love in them?  The only way I can seem to get any gratification or love from her is dependant on how much I spend on her.  If she is told no, I instantly become a horrible mother who does not care about her.  I am at my wits end, and I feel I must act fast, before I lose complete control over the situation.  

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Thank you and my apology. ODD in childhood is often a precursor to personality disorder as the child reaches adulthood (children cannot be diagnosed with personality disorder). There is no reason to think that 'time will cure' her behavioral symptoms and I do endorse the notion of involvement in therapy. Children sometimes oppose the plan at the outset, but the child/therapist relationship evolves and it is not at all unusual for children to engage in the help. And, at worst, 'nothing ventured.....'

[EvaE]

Dr. Kennedy,
Her diagnosis is ODD (Opisitional Difiance Disorder) not OCD.  Which seems to fit her to a tee.  She is argumentative with everyone, but especially those in authority.  Yes, she was taken meds Adderal and Celexa in conjuction with weekly therapy, but about a year ago, she refused all types of treatment.  I am now on my own.  A single parent with her father having a very minimal role in her care.  My question is this..because she has became so aggresive and manipulating should I be concerned with her violent outburst.  Is this something that she will grow out of?  She has brought me and others in her life to tears, but it does not seemed to faze her.  Would it be worth making her go to therapy even though she tells me all that she will do is sit there and not talk?  

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

I assume (since she carries diagnoses of ADHD and OCD) that she was at some point under the care of mental health professionals. Is that still the case? If not, her treatment should resume. There is no reason to think that a young person who dispays OCD is likely to develop sociopathic symptoms. Essentially they are 'apples and oranges'. OCD is what we call an Axis I anxiety disorder. What used to be called sociopathic behavior (there is no Sociiopath diagnosis any longer) falls under the category of Axis II Antisocial Personality Disorder (though I am not suggesting that your daughter is an example of this). The best thing at this point is to enlist professional clinical help. Unfortunately, you cannot instill empathy in a child. However, a person can certainly leqarn to treat other people well, even if the person lacks a well developed sense of empathy.