Adults who were diagnosed with ODD as children tend to have a higher chance of being diagnosed with other mental illness in their lifetime, as well as being at higher risk of developing social and emotional problems. Management
Approaches to the treatment of ODD include parent management training, individual psychotherapy, family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and social skills training. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, treatments for ODD are tailored specifically to the individual child, and different treatment techniques are applied for pre-schoolers and adolescents.Children with oppositional defiant disorder tend to exhibit problematic behavior that can be very difficult to control. An occupational therapist can recommend family based education referred to as Parent Management Training (PMT) in order to encourage positive parents and child relationships and reduce the childs tantrums and other disruptive behaviors. Since ODD is a neurological disorder that has biological correlates, an occupational therapist can also provide problem solving training to encourage positive coping skills when difficult situations arise, as well as offer cognitive behavioral therapy. Psychopharmacological treatment
Psychopharmacological treatment is the use of prescribed medication in managing oppositional defiant disorder. Prescribed medications to control ODD include mood stabilizers, anti-psychotics, and stimulants. In two controlled randomized trials, it was found that between administered lithium and the placebo group, administering lithium decreased aggression in children with conduct disorder in a safe manner. However, a third study found the treatment of lithium over a period of two weeks invalid.
These symptoms include: 

Often loses temper
Is often touchy or easily annoyed
Is often angry and resentful
Often argues with authority figures or, for children and adolescents, with adults
Often actively defies or refuses to comply with requests from authority figures or with rules
Often deliberately annoys others
Often blames others for their mistakes or misbehavior
Has been spiteful or vindictive at least twice within the past six monthsThese behaviors are mostly directed towards an authority figure such as a teacher or a parent. Although these behaviors can be typical among siblings, they must be observed with individuals other than siblings for an ODD diagnosis. Children with ODD can be verbally aggressive. However, they do not display physical aggressiveness, a behavior observed in conduct disorder. Furthermore, they must be perpetuated for longer than six months and must be considered beyond a normal childs age, gender and culture to fit the diagnosis. For children under five years of age, they must occur on most days over a period of six months. For children over five years of age, they must occur at least once a week for at least six months. If symptoms are confined to only one setting, most commonly home, it is considered mild in severity. If it is observed in two settings, it is characterized as moderate, and if the symptoms are observed in three or more settings, it is considered severe.These patterns of behavior result in impairment at school or other social venues. Etiology
There is no specific element that has yet been identified as directly causing ODD.