Minimum duration criterion for oppositional defiant disorder symptoms?

• A. 3 months
• B. 6 months
• C. 12 months
• D. 1 month

Answer: (B)

Oppositional defiant disorder is identified when a persistent pattern of angry/irritable mood, argumentative/defiant behavior, or vindictiveness lasts for a minimum sustained period. That duration is six months, which helps distinguish a chronic, interfering pattern from a shorter-lived phase of behavior. Within that six-month window, multiple symptoms from the DSM-5 criteria are typically present and cause problems in important settings like home, school, or with peers. Shorter periods, such as a few weeks or months, do not meet the diagnostic threshold, while six months confirms the behavior is enduring rather than episodic.