The human body is a remarkable entity which possesses a seemingly unlimited amount of potential. Everyday people set out to climb mountains, swim oceans, and accomplish wide arrays of tasks previously thought impossible. If one examines the human body closely they immediately notice the complexity of the body's systems and subsystems which allow it to function. Given their complexity, these systems and subsystems can develop poorly and function abnormally, affecting a person's physical and mental well being. One of these systems crucial to the development of society is human conscience. This human conscience is crucial, as it ensures that individuals take negative outcomes into account prior to carrying out their actions. Given the fact that a conscience is fundamentally universal, it is no surprise that people are often shocked and mortified, at some people's ability to harm others. This condition of lack of empathy with an emphasis on self preservation through exploitation has been listed by the DSM-IV as Antisocial Personality Disorder, yet in some cases, the term Psychopathy is applied. This condition is of high interest to researchers as these individuals are at high risk for criminal activity which negatively affects society. Therefore, given the negative repercussions associated with this disorder, it is important to examine the etiology, epidemiology and possible treatments for ASPD.
[...] Conclusion After reviewing the research pertaining to antisocial personality disorder, one can conclude that the prevalence of the disorder is a very serious issue which must be addressed. Given the high risk for drug abuse and criminal behaviour faced by those affected by ASPD, it would seem appropriate for society to make a larger effort to reduce its aggregating factors. Furthermore, given the poor housing and schooling conditions faced by North American children from low SES families, one can only wonder about the long term consequences that will arise. [...]
[...] There is evidence of conduct disorder with onset before 15 years of age (APA, 2000). The behavioural disorders classified as Conduct Disorder can be defined as a persistent long term pattern of behaviour which violates the rights of others (i.e. Assault, vandalism, etc.). Children with this disorder will tend to ignore social norms, rules and will engage more frequently in things like lying, and running away from home. Using a loosely based definition of this disorder, researchers have found that of adolescent boys meet the criteria for CD, outnumbering girls by a ratio of approximately 4:1 (Frick: 2006). [...]
[...] It has been suggested that on average, those whom have antisocial personality disorder have more severe levels of substance abuse addiction, as well as earlier age of onset in comparison to the general population (Crocker et al: 2006). In fact, it is estimated that 83% of those affected with ASPD become substance abusers (Barlow et al: 2008). However, it seems that this statistic may be representative of the incarcerated population, but it seems a bit high for a global statistic. [...]
[...] Given the difficulties with treating this personality disorder in adults, research has shown promising results in targeting the aggregating factors present in childhood. Since conduct disorder has been linked to ASPD, it only makes sense that targeting this disorder would in turn reduce negative outcomes. Since it has already been recognized that ASPD is associated with higher levels of incarceration and drug abuse, this style of early intervention is very promising (Brown et al: 2008). Several studies have demonstrated the positive short term effects generated by intervention programs like anti-bullying and secondary thinking strategy courses. [...]
[...] Lack of remorse in antisocial personality disorder: Sociodemographic correlates, symptomatic presentation, and comorbidity with axis I and axis II disorders in the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 289-297. Guy, L. S., Poythress, N. G., Douglas, K. S., Skeem, J. L., & Edens, J. F. (2008). Correspondence between self-report and interview-based assessments of antisocial personality disorder. Psychological Assessment, 20(1) Kimonis, E. R., Frick, P. J., Fazekas, H., & Loney, B. R. (2006). Psychopathy, aggression, and the processing of emotional stimuli in non- referred girls and boys. [...]
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