Antisocial personality disorder

From ArticleWorld

An antisocial personality disorder is one that seems to lack the ability to feel. They do not exhibit fear when threatened nor seem to be frightened of pain and so are callous in their disregard for their own safety and are unable to empathize with the suffering of others. One theory is that the taking of risks or substance abuse prevalent in those suffering from the disorder is an attempt to escape the feeling of emptiness this lack of feeling causes.

Antisocial personality disorder or APD has been compared by psychiatrists to sociopathy and psychopathic disorders and, according to the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), more men that women are affected by the disorder with 3% of men and !% of women having some form of antisocial personality.

Symptoms

Diagnosis of the disorder is established via clinical interviews, self-rating personality surveys and the opinions of co-workers and families. In the DSM, an antisocial personality is defined as one that is characterized by a callous disregard for the rights of others and a continued violation of them; and the behaviour must have begun around the age of 15. It should be noted here that the diagnosis of APD can only be applied to individuals over the age of 18; before this age, a diagnosis of conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder is given.

Other symptoms include a tendency to violate the law, to be deceitful, irritable and aggressive, and to show a lack of remorse for hurting, mistreating or stealing from another. Impulsivity and lack of planning are also common among APD’s.

Treatment

There are some who claim that the best treatment for APD is to throw away the key. It would appear that medication is of little value and psychotherapy has been shown to be limited in its effectiveness. One reason for the latter may be that those suffering from the disorder very rarely deliver themselves up to treatment; this is something that is usually court ordered. Once therapy has begun, however, the focus is usually on reinforcing appropriate behaviour and connecting actions to feelings.