Antisocial Personality Disorder

I. Personality Disorders: enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself that are exhibited in a wide range of social and personal contexts, are inflexible and maladaptive, and cause significant functional impairment or subjective distress. II. Antisocial Personality Disorder: chronic psychiatric condition characterized by behavior, possibly criminal, that manipulates, exploits, or violates the rights of others (a.k.a. the sociopath or the psychopath).

A. Other Key Features 1) Lack the ability to experience fear. 2) Often will break social rules or norms. 3) Aggressive or hostile behavior. 4) Engage in reckless and irresponsible behavior. 5) Lack of truthfulness. 6) Prone to impulsive behavior. 7) Lack the ability to feel guilt, remorse, or empathy for others. 8) Lack of a “Conscience”: internal standards of behavior, which usually control one’s conduct and produce emotional discomfort when violated.

9) Often remarkably charming. 10) Often excel at “Self-Monitoring”: being aware of how one is presenting oneself in a social context and being able to adjust that image in different social contexts to create favorable impressions. 11) Some poor decision making skills. 12) Having Conduct Disorder prior to age 18 is often a precursor to Antisocial Personality Disorder. 13) Mostly found among men between the ages of 18 and ) More than five times as common among men as among women. 15) About 4% of the population has this disorder.

B. Two Key Questions… 1) To what extent is Antisocial Personality Disorder caused by Nature vs. Nurture in any given diagnosed individual? 2) Is any given individual diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder committing crimes?

C. Nature vs. Nurture 1) Most of the time, ASPD is the result of genetic predispositions/biological factors in conjunction with negative environmental influences. 2) Childhood abuse, particularly physical and emotional abuse and neglect, is quite common among those with ASPD. 3) Brain imaging links antisocial personality disorder to dysfunctions in parts of the brain involved in regulating emotions and restraining impulsive behaviors, especially aggressive behaviors. 4) Areas of the brain most directly implicated are the prefrontal cortex (gray matter deficiency) and deeper brain structures in the limbic system such as the amygdala (underactive).

Adopted Children Removed From Biological Mothers At Birth Biological Mother With ASPD Biological Mother Without ASPD Long Duration in Orphanage Short Duration in Orphanage High Prevalence of ASPD Low Prevalence of ASPD Very Low Prevalence of ASPD Very Low Prevalence of ASPD

D. Criminal Activity 1)Most people with Antisocial Personality Disorder do NOT commit crimes. 2) Most people with Antisocial Personality Disorder that do commit crimes are NOT murderers. 3) Serial killers are often diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder and are often highly intelligent. E. Treatment and Outcomes 1)As with most people suffering from Personality Disorders, treatment for Antisocial Personality Disorder is usually ineffective.