Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is classified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a condition marked by a disregard for the feelings and wellbeing of others. It is grouped with what are referred to as "dramatic" personality disorders, which also include borderline, narcissistic, and histrionic personality disorders.
Colloquially, this condition is sometimes referred to as sociopathy or psychopathy, although most mental health professionals no longer use those terms. Here is an overview of this condition, including its symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatments.
Antisocial Personality Disorder Symptoms
The most common symptoms associated with APD are:
- Frequent lying or deception
- Manipulation of others for either personal gain or for the fun of it
- A sense of entitlement or superiority
- Engaging in high-risk behaviors
- Frequent legal troubles
- Drug or alcohol abuse
In many instances, these symptoms will begin to develop during childhood and may manifest as animal abuse, bullying, or other forms of aggressive behavior. Over time, the symptoms will intensify until patients reach their 20s or 30s. However, as they continue to grow older, some symptoms may decrease in severity, but it’s still unknown why this occurs.
Antisocial Personality Disorder Causes
The exact causes of APD and other personality disorders are still relatively unknown. There is some evidence to indicate that genetic factors play a role in the development of this condition, but these alone cannot explain antisocial personality disorder entirely.
Psychologists who focus on the social dimensions of mental disorders point out that many of the symptoms associated with APD are based on values that are specific to certain cultures. Because of this, the social environment in which a person is raised may also play a role in the development of the condition.
While exact causes remain elusive, researchers have been able to pinpoint specific risk factors that can increase the likelihood of a person developing antisocial personality disorder. These include a history of abuse during childhood or being raised by a parent with substance abuse issues or APD itself.
Diagnosing Antisocial Personality Disorder
There are very specific criteria that must be met in order for an official APD diagnosis. While patients cannot be diagnosed with the condition until the age of 18, they must begin displaying symptoms before age 15. However, if symptoms can be attributed to another condition, sometimes schizophrenia, doctors may not classify a person’s behavior as an indication of APD.
Unfortunately, most people with antisocial personality disorder see no problems with their behavior. This makes diagnosing them difficult because they typically do not seek professional help on their own. Even when they do, it’s likely that they won’t provide a psychologist with accurate information, which creates even more problems in assigning an accurate diagnosis.
Treating Antisocial Personality Disorder
As with diagnosing the condition, it can be difficult to treat people with antisocial personality disorder because they often will not seek out help themselves and are manipulative and dishonest during treatment sessions. Because of this, most people with APD only receive treatment when it is mandated by law, which often occurs when patients find themselves in legal trouble.
Despite this, psychotherapy is still one of the primary methods used to treat APD. During this process, the patient will sit down with a therapist or other mental health professional in order to locate and change problematic behaviors and beliefs. Because people with antisocial personality disorder usually have no ethical qualms with their behavior, their sessions typically involve looking at ways that a patient’s actions hurt his or her own self interests.
It’s not unusual for therapists to experience extremely negative emotional reactions to their patients with APD, but it’s important that they maintain an aura of rationality and impartiality. Any sort of display of emotion could potentially be used by a patient to manipulate the situation and detract from actual treatment.
