Antisocial Personality Disorder

In spite of being one of the most reliably diagnosed personality disorders, antisocial personality disorder (APD) is also widely noted for being one the most difficult personality disorders to treat. In recent years, doctors have become more accepting to the idea of APD being treated with gradual results, but determining the extent of the psychosis is essential prior to taking on any such treatment. There is still currently no demonstrable effective treatment available.

APD is commonly known for being one of the most unsettling personality disorders to observe, based on the lack of moral conviction in patients with this disorder. Exemplified by what is sometimes a complete lack of conscience with their actions, a person showing signs of APD generally has no concern for the feelings, thought, or well-being of those who they should be closest to. In short, they don't really care how their actions make someone else feel, and they may seek out to intentionally cause pain, emotional and sometimes physical, to others. They tend to act manipulatively with the emotions of others, and in a lot of cases show criminal tendencies and lifestyles.

Self-reporting family physicians, (those who have independent therapy classes, not affiliated with a school or larger group of study) have a more difficult time diagnosing APD, generally due to the manipulative actions of the patient with APD. The patient may eventually even take pride in being able to deceive a mental health provider into thinking there is nothing wrong. These actions can be beneficial in the patients ability to hide or fake diagnosis, as well as treatment results. (Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders- Antisocial Personality Disorder, J. Reid Meloy, Ph.D., 1995)

Antisocial per...

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...iopath who took pleasure from another human's pain and the control he had over his victims, to the point of death, and even after". In all of these serial killers, there were large similarities in their early childhood, including child abuse, sexual assault, and neglect.

In conclusion, although the warning signs for APD are generally quite obvious, the treatment is not one that can be easily taken as a pill, with weekly therapy, or even intense lifestyle changes. Treatment for antisocial personality disorder will require years of constant study, not just to be controlled for the individual, but also understood by science itself. With the hope of understanding how to care, help, and bring balance to someone with this issue, science and medicine are constantly learning and growing. With hope, we will be able to better address this disorder, sooner rather than later.