Antisocial personality disorder is a specific psychiatric disorder characterized by antisocial and impulsive behaviors. This is a pathological disorder which means that modern psychiatry defines no potential benefits of positive antisocial behavior. Professional psychiatry generally compares Antisocial Personality Disorder to sociopathy. That%26rsquo;s why the term %26ldquo;sociopath%26rdquo; is sometimes used to describe an individual with anti-social personality disorder. People with anti-social personality disorder show a chronic lack of concern for the rules and expectations of society, and repeatedly violate the rights of others. Anti-social personality disorders are difficult to treat. Group counseling and treatment of coexisting conditions may help some people. Personality disorders
A personality disorder is a severe disturbance in the logical constitution and behavioral tendencies of an individual, usually involving several areas of the personality, and nearly always associated with considerable personal and social disruption. Personality disorder tends to appear in late childhood or adolescence and continues to manifest into adulthood.
Currently, there are 10 distinct personality disorders identified in the DSM-IV:
1. Antisocial Personality Disorder
2. Avoidant Personality Disorder
3. Borderline Personality Disorder
4. Dependent Personality Disorder
5. Histrionic Personality Disorder
6. Narcissistic Personality Disorder
7. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
8. Paranoid Personality Disorder
9. Schizoid Personality Disorder
10. Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Incidence
Approximately 3% of men and 1% of women are thought to have some form of antisocial personality disorder according to DSM-IV.
The incidence of antisocial personality is higher in people who have antisocial biological parents.
The cause of Antisocial Personality Disorder
The cause of this disorder is unknown, although most experts believe that the biological or genetic factors may play a role.
%26bull; Genetic factors
The incidence of antisocial personality is higher in people who have antisocial biological parents. There is almost always a history of similar behaviors before age 15, such as repetitive lying, truancy, delinquency, and substance abuse. Several researches have confirmed the genetic factors of antisocial behavior in adults and shown that genetic factors are more important in adults than in antisocial children. Antisocial Personality Disorder in the biological parents predicted antisocial disorder in the adopted away children.
Symptoms of the condition
%26bull; Antisocial behavior
People with this disorder appear to be charming at times, and make relationships, but to them, these relationships are not filled with true emotions. The relationships of the persons with this disorder including marriages, are shallow and meaningles and are ended whenever it suits them. They have the ability to find the weakness in people, and are ready to use these weaknesses to their own ends through manipulation.
%26bull; Lack of true emotions
These people appear to be incapable of any true emotion. They are quick to get angry, but just as quick to let go, without holding grudges.
%26bull; Living for the moment
The are rarely able to have a steady job. They live for the moment, forgetting the past, and not planning the future, not thinking ahead what consequences their actions will have. They want immediate rewards and gratification.
Most commonly, the sociopath:
%26bull; Repeatedly breaks the law
%26bull; Displays reckless or impulsive behavior
%26bull; Exhibits persistent irritability and aggressive behavior
%26bull; Repeatedly lies to and manipulates others
%26bull; Is unable to sustain long-term relationships
%26bull; Shows consistent irresponsibility, such as failing to pay bills or hold a steady job
%26bull; Abuses alcohol or drugs
%26bull; Shows little or no remorse for their actions
Five-factor model of personality
1. High Neuroticism
Some of the common symptoms are:
%26bull; chronic negative affects, including anxiety, fearfulness, tension, irritability, anger, dejection, hopelessness, guilt, shame;
%26bull; difficulty in inhibiting impulses: to eat, drink, or spend money;
%26bull; irrational beliefs: for example, unrealistic expectations, perfectionistic demands on self,
%26bull; unwarranted pessimism;
%26bull; unfounded somatic concerns;
%26bull; helplessness and dependence on others
2. Low Extraversion
This is characterized by social isolation, interpersonal detachment, and lack of support networks, flattened affect, lack of joy for life, social inhibition and shyness.
3. Low Openness
It is characterized by low tolerance or understanding of different points of lifestyles, emotional blandness and inability to understand and verbalize own feelings.
4. Low Agreeableness
The most common symptoms are cynicism, paranoid thinking and inability to trust even friends or family.
5. Low Conscientiousness
It is characterized by poor academic performance relative to ability.
The person with APD is hardly fulfilling their intellectual or artistic potential.
Aggressive sociopaths
These people derive strong gratification from harming others. It is proven that they like to hurt, frighten, tyrannize, bully, and manipulate. They do it for a sense of power and control, and will often only drop subtle hints about what they are up to. They seek out positions of power, such as parent, teacher, bureaucrat, supervisor, or police officer.
Diagnosis of APD
Most of the manuals for diagnosing mental and behavioral disorders, define antisocial personality disorder as a pervasive pattern of three (or more) of the following:
%26bull; failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors
%26bull; deceitfulness, repeated lying, use of aliases,
%26bull; impulsivity or failure to plan ahead
%26bull; irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults
%26bull; reckless disregard for safety of self or others
%26bull; lack of remorse
%26bull; The individual is at least age 18 years.
%26bull; There is evidence of conduct disorder with onset before age 15 years.
Differential Diagnosis
Some disorders have similar symptoms. That is why the clinician has to differentiate against the following disorders to establish a precise diagnosis.
These conditions are:
%26bull; Substance-Related Disorder;
%26bull; Schizophrenia
%26bull; Manic Episode
%26bull; Narcissistic Personality Disorder
%26bull; Histrionic Personality Disorder
%26bull; Borderline Personality Disorders
%26bull; Paranoid Personality Disorder
%26bull; Adult Antisocial Behavior.
Treatment of Antisocial personality disorder
Treatment Goals
Experts are saying that the treatment for all individuals with personality disorders should include:
%26bull; preventing further deterioration,
%26bull; establishing or regaining an adaptive equilibrium,
%26bull; alleviating symptoms,
%26bull; restoring lost skills,
%26bull; fostering improved adaptive capacity
Another treatment goal is to assist family members and significant others to set limits.
Counseling and Psychotherapy
The effective treatment of antisocial behavior and personality is limited but it is proven that group psychotherapy can be helpful.
The main goal of the psychotherapy is for the patient to develop a sense of trust. Only then the individual psychotherapy or cognitive behavioral therapy can be beneficial. It is likely, that intensive, psychoanalytic approaches are inappropriate for this population.
Pharmacotherapy
There is no research that supports the use of medications for direct treatment of antisocial personality disorder. It is proven that medications should only be utilized to treat clear, acute and serious diagnoses.
Self-Help
There are several self-help methods for the treatment of this disorder. Unfortunately they are often overlooked by the medical profession. Group therapy could be the key because individuals feel more at ease while discussing their problems in front of their peers..
Prognosis
The prognosis is not very good mostly because this disorder is characterized by a failure to conform to society's norms. People with this disorder are often incarcerated because of criminal behavior. A lack of insight into the disorder is also very common. People with antisocial personality disorder rarely seek treatment and rarely realize that they have a problem in the first place.
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