May 14th, 2017 - 11:21 am to 12:21 pm
Edited - June 13th, 2017 - 1:03 pm to 1:17 pm
Well, That's ODD
So, I had just received my provisional license for clinical social work. Now that I could diagnose clients, a manager at work, the agency, honed in on me. We were in Yanceyville, NC and surrounding areas. We didn't have direct access to clinicians as an agency until I became provisionally licensed. So, the diagnosis on the treatment plans, had to stay for at least a year, until they were reviewed. Shortly after I got my provisional license, the agency hired someone with an LPC to provide clinical support to clients and staff.
As soon as I got my provisional license, a manager got us to step aside into one of our rooms at work. Derek said that he knows that I don't like labeling people with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. But he tried to soften it up for me. I remember 3 things that Derek said. It's only temporary. It will be taken off of his permanent record. And, it's probably a limited amount of help that he'll get because of access to help and support.
I wish that I could remember what I did. I tried to remember after I recalled that experience. But I remember going to this young person's house and doing an intake and assessment, but I don't remember if I diagnosed him with Oppositional Defiant Disorder or not. And the more that I thought about it, the more I realized that the Truth is whatever the Truth is. And, the fact that I don't remember, says something to me. For me, it was another day in the office. But for him, it was assigning a narrative to his journey. I'm leaning towards thinking, that I did diagnose him with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, given my shy state back then. I think that I tended to give in to authorities, both the ideas in general and specific people acting as authority figures.
Since, I felt like I wanted to increase my clinical hours, I got a job at another agency in which I could do that. I was working half time in the office with a variety of clients. And half time in a day treatment program working with middle school aged students.
One day, I was doing an assessment with a young woman of color and she was with a parental guardian. The information from the assessment matched up with the criteria for Oppositional Defiant Disorder in the DSM IV.
I didn't see any other diagnosis that matched her assessment. But even though the criteria matched Oppositional Defiant Disorder, I felt like diagnosing her with ODD, didn't give me the opportunity to get to the context because we were the only ones in the room. No one else who was part of this situation was at the table, so we couldn't address it collectively, wholistically to address everyone's concerns and more importantly the young student sitting in front of me.
So, the best that I could do is tell the student and her loved one, I'm diagnosing you with Oppositional Defiant Disorder because it matched the criteria. But since there's so much more that we need to address, it's not your core being. Your core being is fine and we'll work things out.
I decided to focus on as much humanity as I could. And, the student came to me periodically for support, including resolving a very distressed situation as she talked to someone on the phone. She and I also went upstairs together a few times to talk with a coach who had good intentions, but I felt expressed some patriarchy, as he probably breathed in from a dominant culture.
I continued to grow more frustrated working in these systems of human services as I saw and engaged in various oppressive aspects or dynamics.
Sometimes, I would express myself in what I call social justice temper tantrums. As I would see Oppositional Defiant Disorder in the context of a capitalist system. The more I thought, reflected and talked with other people the more clear I got. But I was still deeply engrained in a deep and dominant culture which creates systems.
So I could see things a little more clearly, but it was like trying to walk in muddy water. I can move somewhat, but it's hard to move fluidly.
One time I was at a community meeting at the local public library on Church Street. I went over to another community member with whom I know and is very aware of social dynamics, oppression, liberation, and race among other things.
After I had my tantrum complaining about Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Deena Hayes said that sounds like Drapetomania. I asked what does that mean, because that was a new word for me at the time. That was the first time that I heard the word drapetomania.
Deena explained that Drapetomania was a diagnosis given to slaves as a mental illness when they tried to flee their captivity. Deena's connecting Drapetomania and Oppositional Defiant Disorder makes sense to me. They seem like different versions of the same main ideas.
So, the way we see ideas or information and respond are important. We can see them in parts and respond to information in toxic or harmful ways or we can see things wholistically and respond with our humanity within ourselves and see the humanity in others. I think that we receive what we're given. So if we process experiences in part in some dominant ways, that's the way our beings will respond. But in order to restore ourselves and each other wholistically, then we need to express and receive wholistically, addressing every need and concern.