You may have come across some people that may seem charming, friendly, and attractive. But you can’t trust them somehow because of their unpredictable attitude and behavior. Today, we’ll discuss what is antisocial personality disorder; its symptoms, causes, and treatment.
What is Antisocial Personality Disorder?
ASPD (antisocial personality disorder) is a mental health condition where a person avoids the feelings of others and doesn’t care about the rights and wrongs of the social norms. It also goes by the name of sociopathy. However, people with ASPD conditions manipulate and intimidate others harshly without caring about their feelings. They don’t have remorse and guilty feelings for their actions and behavior.
Often, people with ASPD break the laws and regulations and become violent criminals. They would lie, deceit, and behave impulsively and violently, and they also don’t have a problem consuming drugs and alcohol. Therefore, people with such traits and behavior can’t comply with the obligations of school, work, and family.
According to an estimate, ASPD impacts approximately 2-4% of the population and it is more common among men.
Symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder
Some of the main signs of ASPD are as follows;
- Failing to meet financial obligations and not completing the work repetitively
- Irresponsible person consistently
- Failure to consider the negative results of his behavior and not learn from them
- Abusive and poor relationships
- Engaging in the dangerous behavior without caring about the safety and well-being of others
- Risk-taking unnecessarily
- Harming others without any feelings of remorse and empathy
- The attitude of violence, aggression, agitation, irritability, and hostility
- Failing to plan for the future
- Impulsiveness
- Violating the rights of others repetitively with dishonesty and intimidation
- Having criminal behavior and problems with the law and regulation
- Highly opinionated with a sense of superiority, and arrogance
- Manipulating others with their wit and charm to achieve personal pleasure
- Disrespectful, cynical, and callous
- Exploiting others with lies and deceits persistently
- Disregarding the rights and wrongs of the social norms
Adults with ASPD condition, tend to exhibit its symptoms before the age of 15, and the person has persistent behavioral problems like;
- Serious violation of rules and regulations
- Theft and robbery
- Deceitfulness
- Destruction of property and assets
- Aggression towards animals and people
ASPD is a lifelong condition, and it results in the form of criminal and destructive behavior. Some professionals say that its symptoms decrease over time due to awareness of the consequences of your behavior, aging, or something else, but it’s not clear.
Causes of Antisocial Personality Disorder
The personality of a person comprises behaviors, emotions, and thoughts, and the mixture makes everyone unique. It’s the way how people see themselves, and they relate, understand, and view the world from the outside. However, the personality of a person develops in early childhood and is shaped by environmental factors and inherent tendencies. Professionals still don’t know the precise cause of ASPD, but some of the main are as follows;
- Changes in the functionality of your brain that have resulted during the brain development phase
- Genetics make you vulnerable to developing ASPD condition, and the circumstances in life could trigger the development of traits
Treatment of Antisocial Personality Disorder
There is no exact treatment for ASPD. Psychotherapeutic treatment and medication help you to deal with some of the behavioral symptoms. Research studies have shown that ASPD tends to aggravate from 24 to 44, and its symptoms start getting better after 45. Some of the main treatment plans for ASPD are as follows;
Psychotherapy
CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is a therapeutic approach that focuses on changing the behavior and thinking of a person. CBT on ASPD patients makes them think about their actions and how they would impact others. It could be in the form of family therapy, group therapy, or individual therapy depending on the person’s condition and responsiveness.
Medication
Medication helps people with ASPD condition to deal with erratic, depression, and aggressive moods. Some of the medicines that your doctors would recommend are as follows;
- Mood stabilizers: these help you to deal with the changes in your behavior and mood, and they’re carbamazepine, lithium, etc.
- Antipsychotics: quetiapine and risperidone; and they help you to manage your aggression and violent behavior
- Antidepressants: fluoxetine and sertraline; and they help you to manage serotonin levels in your brain
Prevention
You can’t prevent the symptoms of ASPD from developing and avoid the risk. ASPD condition has its roots in early childhood and it’s the responsibility of parents and teachers to spot it in the early stages. For instance, if children are exhibiting the symptoms of conduct disorders, parents can intervene and work on the risky behavior.
Conclusion: What is Antisocial Personality Disorder? Symptoms, Causes, Treatment
After an in-depth study of what is antisocial personality disorder; its symptoms, causes, and treatment; we have realized that ASPD could impact a person’s life and the other people around him. If you’re experiencing the symptoms in someone, then you should be careful with him because this is something that you can’t change.
Ahsan is an accomplished researcher and has a deep insight in worldly life affairs. He goes Live 3 days a week on various social media platforms. Other than research writing, he’s a very interesting person.
