 Oppositional defiant disorder

Oppositional defiant disorder is a pattern of persistent irritability, argumentative or defiant behavior, or vindictiveness that exceeds what is developmentally expected and causes significant difficulty. Occasional disagreement or resistance alone is insufficient to define the disorder.

It is distinct from conduct disorder, whose defining pattern involves serious violations of others' rights or major rules. Describing the pattern and context is more informative than treating either diagnosis as a judgment of character.^[ref]