What Is Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)?

  • a personality disorder/psychological mental illness that involves disregard for the rights or others, as well as impulsive, irresponsible and aggressive behaviour.

Incidence in the population

  • 3% in males and 1% in females. It is seen in 3% to 30% of psychiatric outpatients.
  • even higher in prisons (80-85%).
  • higher among patients in alcohol or other drug abuse treatment programs than in the general population.
  • For this diagnose to be given, an individual must be at least 18 years or age and have at least a few symptoms of conduct disorder.

Various forms of the disorder

  • Risk factors for Antisocial Personality Disorder
    • Substance abuse
    • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHA)
    • Reading disorder

Causes

  • result of a combination of biologic or genetic and environmental factors.
    • there is no clear evidence of biological risk factors
    • The lack of response may cause antisocial individuals to be insensitive to others feelings, rights, and suffrage.
    • Some individuals may have particular genetic backgrounds.
    • sexual, physical, or emotional abuse, withdrawal or neglect, interaction with peers who are antisocial, and alcoholic or antisocial parents.

Symptoms

  • lack of obeying laws; evident by recurrence of crimes,
  • regular fraudulence in relationships;
    • lying or scamming others, and failure to think or plan ahead;
    • impulsivity.
    • Antisocial individuals demonstrate an irritable, angry, aggressive behaviour.
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Prognosis

  • -Not very good because of two contributing factors:
    • Limited amount of insight into the systems
    • Negative consequences are often blamed on society.
    • Treatment options are limited.
    • Some research has found long term insight oriented therapy to be effective, but getting the individual to commit to this treatment is a major obstacle.
    • Impact on the sufferer and their family and/or those close to them
    • Sufferers do not express a particular desire to change themselves or suppress their impulses.
    • Many do not even know they are afflicted.
    • It is a cruel personality disorder which takes away nearly all the empathy from the victim and replaces it with an empty hole of hatred and arrogance.
    • A considerate and sympathetic behaviour towards the victims by family and friends is required.

Community resources

  • Personality Disorder Resource Centre on Queen Street West
  • the 211 Toronto Community Connection under Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario and the Doctor’s Guide Congress Resource Centre (CRC).
  • CAMH’s (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) main switchboard number is (416) 535-8501. For a mental health or addiction concern, one can call (416) 595-6111 (within Toronto) or 1-800-463-6273 (toll free).
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Famous victims

  • Ted Bundy, brutal serial killer and law student, who portrayed the selection of the population with the antisocial personality disorder as a clan of heartless monsters.
  • Charles Manson is a convicted serial killer who has become an icon of evil.
  • He fits many of the criteria of antisocial personality disorder, including disregard for and violation of others’ rights, impulsivity, disregard for truth, and lack of remorse.

Other Relevant Information

  • No lab test has been found to be diagnostic of this disorder.
  • This disorder is more common among first-degree biological relatives of those with the disorder than in the general population.
  • Individuals with this disorder have an increased risk of dying prematurely by violent means (e.g., suicide, accidents, and homicide).
author avatar
William Anderson (Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team)
William completed his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in 2013. He current serves as a lecturer, tutor and freelance writer. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, walking his dog and parasailing. Article last reviewed: 2022 | St. Rosemary Institution © 2010-2024 | Creative Commons 4.0

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