Antisocial Personality Disorder (or APD) is a defined as a chronic pattern of disregard for the rights of others. Its symptoms include frequent deception for personal pleasure or profit, a failure to plan ahead, exaggerated impulsivity, irritability, aggressiveness and disregard for the safety of one's self or other people.
Usually, people who suffer from this condition also face a range of other problems, including marital discord, substance abuse problems, or suicidal thoughts. It can be very difficult to treat antisocial personality disorder but, fortunately, there are some options available.
Psychotherapy
Therapists and mental health professionals have made great strides in treating the symptoms of APD with traditional psychotherapy. When properly administered, therapy can help an individual identify and understand the nature and consequences of his or her condition so that they can learn to control their behavior.
Cognitive Therapy
Cognitive therapy, a form of psychotherapy based on the cognitive model, identifies thoughts, feelings and behavior as they occur. By identifying certain types of thoughts, behaviors and feelings, individuals can then be empowered to change those thoughts, feelings and actions. Cognitive therapy usually begins by testing and analyzing the assumptions that a person makes in the course of their behaviors and then looking for new information or approaches to shift or modify that behavior.
Unfortunately, people suffering from APD are often cognitively convinced that other people are to blame for their own condition, which can make finding and achieving a therapeutic breakthrough difficult. Additionally, they also require convincing to believe that their behaviors, thoughts, and actions are undesirable or a problem for people in their lives. Antisocial personality disorder patients may require more extensive and numerous sessions than others to achieve the desired therapeutic results.
Therapists and other mental health professionals working with APD patients must be extremely patient in order to build rapport and earn their trust. Therapists must also be careful to restrain any and all emotional responses to their APD patients so as not to exacerbate the condition.
Medications
Currently, there are no medications specifically approved to treat antisocial personality disorder. Nonetheless, some psychiatric medicines available today can be used to treat individual symptoms of APD, particularly aggression and violent behavior. Additionally, psychiatric medicines currently approved for treating other illnesses may help patients deal with suicidal ideation and depression.
For example, lithium carbonate has been shown to reduce anger, threatening behavior and violent outbursts among users. It is sometimes used to reduce APD-related behaviors such as fighting, temper outbursts, and bullying behavior in children. Similarly, Phenyoin, which is also known as Dilantin, has been demonstrated as being effective in reducing impulse aggression among some patients with antisocial personality disorder.
