A Call to Revise the Diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder-Diagnoses Are for Helping, Not Harming

The diagnosis oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) has informed interventions that have improved challenging home and classroom dynamics for many individuals. However, growing evidence suggests the diagnosis may lead to inadvertentharmby (1) exacerbating stigma associated with reactive behavior and (2) enabling the mischaracterization of normative reactions to traumaas issues of self-control. These harms have significant implications for racial and health equity as they disproportionately affect youth from marginalized backgrounds. As cliniciansworking in a shelter setting, we witness the negative impacts of long-standing ODD diagnoses, particularly among vulnerable youth. We wish to convey a need to revise ODD's current DSM-5 entry to reduce stigma and promote trauma-sensitivity.