DMDD Therapy in Los Angeles
Disruptive mood dysregulation (DMDD) can be extremely frustrating to deal with as a parent. A child that is constantly irritable and prone to extreme tantrums will stretch a family to the limits.
Thankfully with the right treatment, symptoms of DMDD can be greatly reduced.
8-12
The age when children typically begin to exhibit DMDD traits.
1 in 100
The number of children that will be affected by DMDD in childhood.
High
Negative impact on quality of life for children and their families.
What is DMDD?
As a parent, you know that tantrums are a normal part of child development. However, almost 10% of children will continue to have extreme tantrums into their early teens and be constantly angry and irritable. In these cases, the child may have disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD).
Many children with DMDD have been moody and temperamental from a young age, but the behavior is lasting much longer than what is developmentally appropriate.
What's important to note is not how frequent the tantrums are, but what the child's normal behavior is like. Constantly being angry and irritable is a sign of DMDD.
What causes DMDD?
Children with DMDD often do not have the self-regulation and emotional skills to manage negative feelings. Instead they act out, often very strongly.
Children with DMDD also do not read facial expressions and social cues as well as other children, which causes them to see hostility in neutral situations.
Diagnosis
When diagnosing DMDD, a clinician will look at the frequency of tantrums and the baseline mood of the child. If the child has outbursts more than 3x per week, has an angry mood between outbursts, and these symptoms remain for over 6 months, a DMDD diagnosis is likely.
DMDD symptoms usually show up before age 10, and is not diagnosed before the age of 6 or after 18.
The signs of DMDD usually start to appear when the child is between 8 and 12 years old.
Severe tantrums and emotional outbursts
Tantrums occur more than 3x per week
Angry and irritable mood between tantrums
Behavior is not appropriate for the child’s age
DMDD Treatment
Treatment starts with getting a diagnosis. Work with a psychologist or contact us to schedule an assessment for your child.
Evidence shows that parent training is the most effective at treating DMDD. Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) is a form of parent training where you will work with your therapist to learn the necessary skills to help your child manage their symptoms. For example, learning how to effectively use praise when your child does something good, and enforcing consequences when they don't.
Because DMDD symptoms can be strongest at home, seeing your therapist from home via videoconferencing is ideal. This way, you can work with your child in the environment they experience the strongest effects.
How to Get Your Child Help
Treatment at WaveMind consists of a 4 step process.
Get Diagnosis
Get your child assessed by a trained psychologist to determine whether or not he/she has DMDD.
3. Learn the Skills
You learn the skills to train your child's behavior, from positive reinforcement to standing your ground on punishments.
2. Develop Treatment Plan.
Your clinician will work with you to create a treatment plan that helps your child without pushing them too far.
4. Follow Up
Your therapist will continue to hold optional sessions to make sure you and your child have all the skills needed to be successful.
Frequently Asked Questions
DMDD vs ODD: how are they different?
DMDD is different from ODD in that the anger is not necessarily directed at authority, but the situation. The behavior is not vindictive towards teachers or parents, and is unlikely a threat to others.
Is DMDD a bipolar disorder?
Before 2014, children exhibiting DMDD traits were diagnosed with bipolar disorder. However DMDD was officially added to the DSM to better characterize frequent outbursts. DMDD is different from bipolar disorder in that children are more likely to develop depression or anxiety at a later age, rather than adult bipolar disorder.
Can a child outgrow DMDD?
DMDD likely will not go away on its own, and if left untreated can evolve into more serious conduct and behavior disorders, including depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.