Is this part of ODD?

[lovelyboy]

Ok...so I've been reading ALOT lately regarding, ODD, Asper, ect.....but there's something that I notice with my son that I don't see listed anywhere...

When he gets so angry/ upset it's almost as if he goes into 'another mental state'? Not psychotic but as if he changes into another person? His eyes becomes wild and disorientated, not really staying conected or in the present....just for 1 minute or so, while he will be screaming abusive things.....

It's almost as if he then 'snaps out of it'....

The other day he said: He doesn't know who is making him become 'like this'....he really doesn't want to be like this!

Does this sounds familiar? Is this part of ODD?

 

[BusynMember]

Very common when a child rages, no matter what his diagnosis is. There is a point where a child can not shut down, even if he wants to. At least it is the case with some kids. How do I know? I raged about once a month as a kid. There was a point of no return and I'm sure I looked possessed. After the rage, I would sit in my room and wonder why I was so crazy. The rages scared me to death, but I couldn't stop them once it was really going strong. I had to be left alone to "rage it all out" in order to calm down.

 

[InsaneCdn]

From what I can tell, technically it is not a part of the official ODD traits. The assumption with ODD is that the kid knows what they are doing at the time, and does it anyway. The rages - and shut-downs and other avoidance behaviors are an out-of-control reaction.

Its part of why ODD is so much of a non-diagnosis... it describes a certain range of behaviors, but provides no clues as to the causes or solutions.

It's familiar - to LOTS of us here - but not as an "ODD" thing. More often, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (even if not meeting the diagnostic thresholds, trending this way can result in these behaviors), and/or mental health issues.

 

[mazdamama]

My ODD guy knows what he is raging about when he rages...it is either because he did not get his own way, someone got in his space or something occured with his little Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) self that flicked the switch. It even happens in our van where I often talk him into sitting way in the back on out of town trips for safety sake. I will ignore the behaviors that are not dangerous (screams, yelling, kicking the seat or sides of the inside of the back of the van) AND the horrible ugly things that come out of his mouth aimed at me. After he calms down he will say to me "I bet those horrible things I said to you hurt your heart and I am sorry...I don't know why I act that way".

 

[cmfout]

My difficult child does exactly the same thing. His only "real" diagnosis is ODD, but there's more going on with him than just that. My ex was extremely abusive to my kids and I'm sure some of that wore off on Jacob. I'm also just as sure that he has PTSD - I think all of my boys and I have it due to their father. The rages are just a part of the whole, and ODD is rarely the whole story.
I've found that for Jacob, the only thing that helps him to get himself under control is to allow him something to beat up on. He has a good punching bag hung in the corner of his room. Now, when he feels a meltdown coming on, he goes in and beats on his bag until he's ready to talk to me. That bag has been a sanity saver for both of us!

 

[timer lady]

I've seen this time & again with my tweedles. kt becomes almost feral & at that point she doesn't have a clue as to what, why, when & how to her meltdown.

wm, who rages many times a day for shorter periods, gets that feral out of control look as well.

It's hard to break thru all that intense emotion ~ in the end there's no memory of the event.