Antisocial Personality Disorder
What is Antisocial Personality Disorder?
What are the symptoms?
- Disregard for right and wrong
- Consistent lies to exploit others
- Using charm to manipulate others for personal gain or for pleasure
- intense ego centrism
- difficulties with society and law
- poor or abusive relationships
- failure to learn from past mistakes
Although considered a lifelong disorder, some symptoms such as use of alcohol and drugs, may decrease over time, but it is not clear whether this is a result of aging or an increased awareness of the consequences of antisocial behavior.
What are the causes?
Environment: This means the surroundings of a person grows up in, events that happened, and personal interactions with family members and others. It includes life situations as the type of parenting a person experienced, whether loving or abusive .
Genetics: These inherited tendencies are aspects of a person's personality passed on by parents, such as shyness or having a positive outlook. This is sometimes called temperament.
Personality disorders are thought to be caused by combinations of these genetic and environmental influences. Some people may have genes that make them vulnerable to developing antisocial personality disorder and life situations may trigger its development (Clinic staff, 2013). There also might be a early lack of empathy, understanding the perspectives and problems of others, including other children, and later onset of antisocial personality disorder. Identifying these personality problems early may help improve long-term outcomes.
Who is affected?
How is Antisocial personality disorder treated?
Psychotherapy:
Doctors may recommend different types of psychotherapy based on the situation. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help reveal negative thoughts and behaviors and teach ways of replacing them with positive ones. Psycho dynamic psychotherapy can increase awareness of negative, unconscious thoughts and behaviors, so the person can change them(Kivi 2012).
Medications:
No medications are specifically approved for the treatment of antisocial personality disorder. However, doctors may prescribe:
- antidepressants
- mood stabilizers
- anti-anxiety medications
- anti-psychotic medications
Doctors may also recommend a stay in a mental health hospital where intensive treatment can be given (Kivi, 2012)
Impact of Antisocial personality disorder lifestyle
-Accidents that can result in injury or death
-Bodily damage due to aggressiveness
-Suicidal behavior
-Risky sexual behavior
-Insomnia
-Alcohol or drug abuse
Psychological effects: Antisocial personality disorder involves possible psychological disturbances that can alter your mental health, particularly it it is left untreated. Some of the psychological effects that may be experienced include (Ekms, 2013):
- Maniac episodes
- Mood instability
- Severe depression
- Emotional outbursts
- Anxiety or panic attacks
- Suicidal idealizations
Antisocial personality disorder will impacts your ability to relate to others socially. Effects of antisocial personality disorder on one's social life include:
- Damaged relationships with family due to destructive behaviors
- Inability to maintain healthy relationships
- Isolation
- Decreased performance in school or work place
- Martial of familial conflicts
Treatment
Contact info:
416-927-7342
spalef@torontopsychoanalyst.com
1200 Bay Street, Suite 603
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2) Lesley Timbol
Contact info:
201 City centre Drive, Suite 404
Mississauga, Ontario
L5B 2T4
416-805-6155
Works Cite
1)"Antisocial Personality Disorder." - Mayo Clinic. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.
2)"Antisocial Personality Disorder." Healthline. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.
3)"Addiction Hope." Addiction Hope. Ed. Jacquelyn Ekem. 15 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.