ODD-CD part 7

Sadly, this is very common.  In my clinic, every child with CD is assumed to be abusing substances until proven otherwise. Compared with children who do not have CD, children who have CD are three times more likely to smoke cigarettes, 2.5 times more likely to drink, and five times more likely to smoke pot.  As far as having a problem from drug use, children with CD a 5.5 times more likely to be addicted to cigarettes, six times more likely to be alcoholics, 7 times more likely to be addicted to pot.  This is certainly the most common comorbidity and often goes along with the one's below.

When Terry was 9, he told his mom that he wanted to buy lunch instead of bring it.  His mom at that point still believed that some of what Terry said was innocent of any other purpose, and so she let him.  She did notice that he was very hungry when he came home from school.  He said the lunches were small and for an extra 75 cents he could get seconds.  She believed this.  Two weeks later the principal called to report that Terry was caught with cigarettes on the playground.  Terry's mom was amazed, as she did not smoke and either did her husband.  Not only that, but he had a whole pack.  Well, it took a lot of "interrogation" to get the story out.  The lunch money went to buy cigarettes from a boy in Jr. high.  Terry then smoked a few of those and then sold the rest at a big profit.  His parents remembered that two years later when he was found drunk in the locker room at Jr. High.  Now his parents are lots wiser.  Terry still thinks his parents are totally unreasonable.  The rule is you get your allowance and phone privileges as long as those random urine drug screens are normal.  If he doesn't cooperate, then they are assumed to be positive.  So he ended up poor and lonely for a few weeks, but now that is under control.  As far as cigarettes go, if he can buy them, he can smoke them outside.  If he is caught drinking or around people who are drinking, good-bye allowance and phone.  Terry hates it and can't wait until he moves out so he can finally do what he wants.

When these two disorders are present, usually the ADHD symptoms are much more severe than when ADHD is present without CD

Stephen is now 14.  When his mother thinks back to his infancy, she could actually see it coming at age 18 months.  At that age he got up in the middle of the night, put a chair up to the door, opened it and went walking outside.  The Mounties found him a while later and brought him home.  If only that had been his only contact with them!

Stephen's mother hated school almost as much as Stephen did.  Almost every day there were calls from the school about Stephen.  In grade primary he tried to stab a child with scissors.  He was swearing at his teachers by grade one.  On Grade two it was stealing lunch money.  Every time they seemed to get one problem under control, he was into something else.  Everyone seemed at a loss about what to do except her brother, who took him mossing every chance he could.  It didn't matter what the weather was like, Stephen was out there.  His uncle said that by the time he was ten, he could do the work of a grown man.  There was no fear in Stephen.  Cold weather, big swells, nothing bothered him.  In elementary school, his parents figured they gave up on him in about fourth grade.  He refused to do any homework from then on.  Up until that grade, his teachers let him go out for a walk around the building every hour or so, but when a set of keys went missing and were "discovered" by Stephen a few days later, the walks ended.  Still, compared to the last few years, this was easy.

Stephen was suspended from 7th grade after two weeks when he threw a match into a boy's locker.  Why?  The boy called him stupid.  He was out for a week, then after only two more days, he was thrown out for making death threats against the teacher.  His parents tried home school and they thought they were getting somewhere.  Until they got a call from the bank. They were overdrawn.  When it all came out Stephen had stolen the cash card and figured out the password and had taken out $500 dollars.  They still don't know how he did it.  Before they could even sort that out, Stephen was arrested for vandalizing the school.  He would have only received probation, but after giving the judge the finger, he was sent to the Shelbourne Youth Centre.  It was the staff there that finally figured it out.  This guy could not sit still for anything, he said the first thing that came to his mouth, and was constantly getting in bigger trouble for it.  He saw the doctor, ADHD was diagnosed, and he was given medication for this in the Youth Centre.  But what will happen in two months when he gets out?  She spends a lot of sleepless nights thinking about that.