This essay examines the antisocial personality disorder, which is one of the most complex conditions affecting a substantial number of American citizens today. Over 15% of those incarcerated suffer ASPD, while slightly over 5% in the free population suffer from the condition, according to the American Psychological Association. These estimates differ across the world and led to concerns about the proper management, prevention, and support for men and women affected directly or indirectly by the potentially fatal disease with biological and psychological sources. The chronic condition requires a medical diagnosis from qualified therapists. Those with the disorder can show symptoms during childhood, through increased need for dishonesty, rough treatment of friends and family, and irritability (Grant, Hasin, Stinson, Dawson, Chou, Ruan & Pickering, 2004).
During adolescence and adulthood, proper diagnosis can be made due to the importance of patients’ participation in the diagnostic process (Swanson, Bland, & Newman, 1994). This report delves into the definition of the disorder in the first section and historical details in the second section. The author will examine the causes, symptoms, and types of ASPD and possible preventions. Environmental causes of ASPD is a crucial topic of discussion which attributes the condition to internal and external environmental factors and will be paired with treatment plans for the state, to address short – term and long – term goals for self - improvement. Prognosis and suggestions on how patients can overcome the condition are examined, and in the concluding chapter, parenting skills and evidence-based therapies for ASPD are offered.
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An antisocial personality disorder is one of the most challenging diseases to treat and individuals suffering from it will exhibit physical signs such as aggression, lack of guilt and remorse after breaking regulations, callousness and in some cases, charming, manipulative and high intelligence. A commonly accepted notion is that it is more noticeable in men rather than women. Some therapists believe that it is an untreatable illness, while others think that if they offer therapy, some of these traits can be eliminated. Self – assessments that allow individuals to determine the level at which they place on certain habits. For example, if an individual ranks the feeling of not being concerned about the welfare of others as often, this could be a warning sign that they have ASPD. The title of the disorder comes about as a result of linking an individual’s ability to comply with socially accepted norms that enable them to live in harmony with others. It is a title that relates sociopathy with behavioral science but unpopular in the medical arena as a result of its negative connotation.
During childhood, children displaying a blatant disregard for morality and empathy are often the first typical candidates for this condition. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-V, if some or all of the following requirements a met, a person is likely to suffer from ASPD: they have no acknowledgment of the law. He or she intentionally misguide and deceives others and repeatedly lies, and the individual does not plan for the future but instead insists on impulsive decision – making. People with the disorder have no strategic direction and are physical violence, bear no remorse for mishandling counterparts, and ignore safety procedures, according to the DSM – V. For these traits to be accurately identified, diagnosis must be attempted on a male or female over the age of 18. However, at the approximate age of 14, there are likely to be blatant exhibits of disorderly conduct within a community setting (De Brito & Hodgins, 2009).
Kurt Schneider, a German psychiatrist, published numerous findings on psychopathic personality disorders such as schizophrenia and contributed to modern day understanding of ASPD. His contributions simplified the diagnostic process and appropriate definition of diseases and getting into the mind of a patient to evaluate whether or not symptomatic conditions such as depression can be alleviated (Millon, Simonsen, Birket-Smith, & Davis, 2002). In 1923, his work contributed to the DSM-V which clusters A, B, and C for individuals with psychological conditions. Cluster A is characterized by paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders, while cluster B patients exhibit antisocial, borderline and histrionic state. The third cluster categorizes patients with avoidant, depended and obsessive-compulsive behavior traits and manifest a lack of confidence and fear of neglect and abandonment.
Clinicians erroneously diagnose patients within the three models, and more work needs to be carried out to refine the treatment and management of ASPD. The troubling behavior evolves to either inability to live as ordinary members of society with careers and motivation to care for their loved ones or become deceptively organized and appealing individuals with impressive ability to control, manage and lead organizations. The marked regard for controlling the domain within which they function is one of the significant signs of ASPD, which leads adult
Studies show that ASPD history is challenging and more needs to be done to find specific genetic predictor of the disorder for experts, although the likelihood of a person suffering from ASPD to have a child or relative who suffers from the same challenge. Fear conditioning which occurs in the formative years of a child has been found to trigger the condition, such as overwhelming loud sounds, pain, and exposure to violence. It is therefore correct to conclude that individuals with keen sensitivity to abuse or trauma are predisposed to some types of ASPD. The condition is categorized as instrumentalized (which consider power the motivating factor of behavior), fearful (which shows patients to have a timid and vulnerable demeanor), or impulsive structure which is witnessed by reckless and abandoning habits. Debates on the subtypes are unique to the biological and social factors clients exhibit around the world. Neural studies using CAT scans show that individuals with incomplete brain structure and lower levels of sense of pain correctly predicted cases of ASPD in males and females.
It is important to note that parents, guardians and those within a social setting must be made aware of the risk of labeling a child as a psychopath based on the traits discussed above. While the two may be strikingly similar, they differ in DSM diagnostic criteria because potential psychopaths are recommended to undergo the Hare Psychopathy Checklist or PCL-R, and if they score highly, they are likely to score low in the ASPD tests recommended. Research shows that prisoners often exhibit either of the conditions, but rarely diagnosed to possess both.
ASPD patients are rarely ego-dystonic and can be distressed by the effect that their condition has on them. Often, they are aware of the presence of the state and should be treated with care. An ASPD patient’s inflexible and disruptive trait endures for an extended period and impairs social functioning and is hardly recognized by them. The noticeable harmful functions of ASPD are linked to overly reactive mesolimbic dopamine reward system which prompts individuals to practice behavior to stimulate short-term and long-term rewards. In the case of ASPD, individuals are not likely to admit that they suffer from the condition as adults.
Promising interventions for the illness have been linked to conduct disorder, which reduces the likelihood of children acquiring ASPD as adults. The proposed treatments show that if therapy is offered to children in their earlier years, they are likely to avert the development of this condition, which has varying approaches to treatment. Impulses are redirected in young children, and the mechanism positively affects bio-psycho-social factors, which overlap. The management of features of ASPD concerning the persistent, pervasive behavior is bound to improve over time after more studies are carried out to offer more insight into the condition.
Proposed treatments for mental disorders include psychoanalytical therapy, cognitive therapy and group therapy, which have all been found to improve levels of anxiety and stabilize moods in addition to promoting the use of medication to treat some manageable symptoms. Doctors, psychiatrists, and psychologists are also encouraged teamwork by families and friends of those suffering for ASPD to provide long-lasting results that can improve common coping mechanisms (Meloy & Yakeley, 2011).
If possible, individuals willing to educate themselves more on the condition need to proactively manage their lifestyles. This applies as an evidence-based approach to managing ASPD. Management can be through reduced dependence on alcohol and drugs that worsen symptoms and act as doorways to opportunities to work recklessly. Another method of controlling the condition is through documentation through keeping journals to monitor lifestyles, emotions, and concerns that can prove to be resources for care and treatment of relatives and friends struggling to manage similar symptoms and conditions.
Parents and guardians experience distress when caring for a family member with ASPD. To manage their mental health and that of their child, they must be willing to obtain support via psychological health service providers who can assist in identifying solutions unique to the family settings at play.
References
De Brito, S. A., & Hodgins, S. H. E. I. L. A. G. H. (2009). Antisocial personality disorder. Personality, personality disorder and violence , 42 , 133-153.
Grant, B. F., Hasin, D. S., Stinson, F. S., Dawson, D. A., Chou, S. P., Ruan, W., & Pickering, R. P. (2004). Prevalence, correlates, and disability of personality disorders in the United States: results from the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. The Journal of clinical psychiatry .
Meloy, J. R., & Yakeley, A. J. (2011). Antisocial personality disorder. A. A , 301 (F60), 2.
Millon, T., Simonsen, E., Birket-Smith, M., & Davis, R. D. (Eds.). (2002). Psychopathy: Antisocial, criminal, and violent behavior . Guilford Press.
Swanson, M. C. J., Bland, R. C., & Newman, S. C. (1994). Antisocial personality disorders. Acta psychiatrica scandinavica , 89 (s376), 63-70.
