ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER: OVERVIEW AND EXAMINATION OF THE CURRENT RESEARCH

The paper presented here examined antisocial personality disorder. Topics included a delineation of the nature of the disorder in both childhood and adulthood, the diagnostic criteria for the disorder, its prognosis, and general methods of treatment. The current research on both the childhood and adult forms of the disorder were also reviewed. In general, this research focused on determining genetic and/or bioneural aspects of the condition as well as exploring the psychosocial elements and how they varied over time. In general, the examined literature indicated that the person with antisocial personality disorder is one who showed evidence of antisocial behavior at some point in childhood. His or her prognosis will vary depending upon a host of environmental, and/or social factors such as the mental health status of the parents, whether child abuse is present, whether the individual shows evidence of substance abuse and so forth. There also appears to be a strong genetic and bioneural involvement in the development of the disorder

There are few people who have read William March's novel "The Bad Seed" or seen the movie with the same title that do not get a chill when they think of little Rhoda Penmark, a sweet, very tidy, very well-mannered girl aged eight who is the pride an

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arental abuse, onset of problem behavior in very early childhood, financial hardship, and lack of supervision. In general, the greater the number of diagnostic criterial which the child displays when diagnosed, the poorer the prognosis. Risk for a poor prognosis also increases with comorbid ADHD and with substance abuse. Regarding the prognosis for antisocial personality disorder, it is not good. Barlow and Durand (2004) report that this mental health disorder is often associated with alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, promiscuity, failure in one's occupation, frequent relocation, and imprisonment, all of which contribute to a poor prognosis. Also, the disorder and associated behaviors tends to run in families suggesting genetic involvement which in itself does not make for a good prognosis. Childhood abuse is also high as is the occurrence of divorce in the families of children diagnosed with conduct disorder. Further, Barlow and Durand (2004) state that a diagnosis of this condition is associated with decreased life expectancy but also point out that with age, the disorder can either diminish or stabilize. Specifically, it is noted that symptoms tend to peak during the late teenage years and early 20's and may improv

Category: Psychology - A