Coping with Antisocial Personality Disorder By: Jo Stokes

INTRO! Not all serial killers have antisocial personality disorder, and not all people with antisocial personality disorder become serial killers. How do people with antisocial personality disorder cope? How do serial killers manage day to day, when they are not murdering? Do they ever seek treatment? How does this affect their relationships, work, and other personal areas? Those with antisocial personality disorder do not care that their behavior may hurt others, but what does this mean for their relationships?

INTRO! I believe that those with antisocial personality disorder are incapable of maintaining normal relationships, so it must be impossible to manage and lead a fulfilled life.

INTRO: What are the symptoms? Those with antisocial personality disorder tend to display a certain set of symptoms. Failure to conform to social norms. They engage in behaviour that will get them arrested, repeatedly. Lying, use of aliases. When they are young, symptoms of antisocial personality disorder may be observed through an unrestrained cruelty to animals, like tearing the wings off flies or kicking puppies. They believe themselves above normal people, and show no remorse for their actions. They are reckless and impulsive, but many show a superficial sense of charm and wit. Does this charm help them through life as normal people? Is this why women fall in love with serial killers?

Findings Sufferers of antisocial personality disorder, and most personality disorders do not usually seek treatment except in cases where they are personally stressed by outside experiences.

Findings For example, Jerry Brudos, an infamous serial killer with many victims, actually had a wife and two children. Brudos is often known as the “Fetish Killer” as his kills centered around his fetishes with shoes, and women's underwear. Brudos raped the bodies of the women he killed , and put them into grotesque shapes and clothing while he took pictures. All of this, he did while living with his wife, two children, and later his wife’s mother. But his relationship with his wife was not healthy, as she slowly discovered his strange sexual practices. Did his charm at first, spark the match?

Findings Most of the essays I was able to find listed antisocial personality disorder as untreatable, especially in adults, due to the lack of empathy. The research for children who may develop it being deterred, is much more promising.

Findings In accordance with their symptoms, people with antisocial personality disorder (although it is much more common in men) do not form lasting relationships. Their superficial charm allows them to attract people for a short time only, before showing their true colors.

Conclusions! The answer to my question was that people with ASPD are not able to lead a normal life. Their disorder leads them to criminal or unethical acts, although not necessarily murder. However, the charm of these people should not be underestimated. In many cases, those that don’t know the person would never suspect their deeds.

Conclusions I believe that those with ASPD cannot be cured, but their behavior can be controlled. Just as the behavior for pedophiles and other sexual deviancy can be controlled.

Citations http://mentalhealth.about.com/od/personaltydisordrs/Personality_Disorders.htm http://crime.about.com/od/serial/a/jerry_brudos.htm http://www.springerlink.com/content/p0015xg61g023327/ http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/jerry_brudos/15.html http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Brudos,%20Jerome.htm