What is Antisocial Personality Disorder Mental Illness Symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment

Personality disorders are the mental health conditions that commonly affect the way someone thinks, feels, perceives, or relates to others.

 

Antisocial personality disorder is a challenging type of mental illness characterized by irresponsible, impulsive, and often criminal behaviour.

 

Someone with antisocial personality disorder mental illness will typically be deceitful and reckless, manipulative, and will not care for the feelings of other people.

Antisocial personality disorder, like other types of personality disorder, is on spectrum, which means that it may range in severity from the irregular bad behavior to constantly breaking the laws and committing serious crimes.

 

Antisocial personality disorder affects around 1% to 4% of adults in the U.S.

 

The difference between antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy is that psychopaths are considered as a severe form of antisocial personality disorder.

 

Symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder

 People with antisocial personality disorder may:

• Exploit, violate or manipulate the rights of others

• Lack concern, remorse or regret about distress of other people

• Have difficulty maintaining long-term relationships

• Be able to act charming and witty

• Often lie, steal and fight

• Unable to control their anger

• Lack guilt, and not learn from their mistakes

• Blame others for the problems in their lives

• Constantly break the law

• Have issues with substance misuse

• Disregard the safety of others

 

A person with ASPD will have a history of conduct disorder during his childhood, like delinquency (such as, substance misuse or committing crimes), truancy (not going to school),  and other aggressive and disruptive behaviors.

 

AntiSocial Personality Disorder Examples

People with antisocial personality disorder commonly violate laws, becoming criminals. They often lie, behave violently, and have issues with drug and alcohol use. They face difficulties consistently meeting responsibilities related to work, school or family.

 

What Causes Antisocial Personality Disorder Mental Illness?

 Personality is a combination of emotions, thoughts and behaviors that makes every person unique. It is the way people understand, view and relate to the outside world, as well as how they think about themselves. Personality usually forms during childhood. It is likely shaped by inherited genes along with life situations and experiences.

 

The exact cause of antisocial personality disorder isn’t entirely known, but:

 

• Genes can make you more likely to developantisocial personality disorder and life situations, specifically neglect and abuse, can trigger the development of this disorder.

• Brain biology is a leading cause. Abnormal levels of serotonin leads to this disorder.

 

Who develops antisocial personality disorder mental illness?

 More men are affected by antisocial personality disorder than women.

 

Women with ASPD are more likely to commit non-violent acts (such as, run away from home,  miss work or school), while males with antisocial personality disorder tend to be likely involved in violent and  illegal actions.

 

It is unknown why a few people develop antisocial personality disorder, but both genetics and traumatic childhood experiences, like child abuse or neglect, play a role in the development of this disorder.

 

Parental harshness and conflict, one or both parents have problems with alcohol use, and conflict parenting are common.

As a result of these issues, social services usually become involved with the care of children.

 

These types of difficulties in childhood will often cause behavioral problems during adolescence and adulthood.

Antisocial Personality Disorder Diagnosis

A healthcare professional who specializes in mental health conditions, such as psychiatrist or psychologist, will diagnose antisocial personality disorder. They will perform a psychological test. This is a specific method to evaluate thoughts and behaviors of a person which look for patterns that lead to antisocial personality disorder.

 

Providers refer to diagnostic criteria that is listed in the fifth edition of DSM-5-TR (in the latest version, TR stands for text revision), or the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Illness.

 

The DSM-5’s criteria for antisocial personality disorder mental illness require that the person have conduct problems obvious by the age of 15. This is the American Psychiatric Association’s professional guide to psychological conditions.

 

Most people who experience ASPD don’t seek a diagnosis alone. A mental health assessment is commonly requested by a court of law.

 

Antisocial personality disorder mental illness test

No self-assessment, imaging exam or blood test can diagnose antisocial personality disorder. If certain behaviors or signs raise a red flag, get medical attention. You commonly first choose to see a primary care physician (PCP). They will consider your health history, perform a physical exam and evaluate your symptoms. Your healthcare provider will refer you to see a psychologist or psychiatrist for a mental health evaluation, that leads to the diagnosis of ASPD.

 

Differential diagnosis for ASPD

A differential diagnosis is a way for your healthcare professional to differentiate between numerous health conditions that show similar symptoms. Some conditions may mimic antisocial personality disorder, so your primary care doctor may refer to following conditions before making an official analysis:

 

• Borderline personality disorder (BPD), or manipulative behavior and or unstable moods.

• Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), or an amplified sense of self-importance.

• Substance abuse disorder, or dependence on alcohol or drugs .

 

Antisocial Personality Disorder Treatment

Your psychologist or psychiatrist may recommend the following treatment for antisocial personality disorder:

 

• Medications: Medications may help treat symptoms like mood changes and aggression.

 

• Psychotherapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a kind of counseling that concentrate on changing the way you think and behave. Therapy also helpsyou see how your actions affect You may benefit from individual therapy, family therapy or group therapy.

 

Your doctor might recommend a combination of psychotherapy and medications. Additionally, they may offer treatments for other underlying health conditions such as borderline personality disorder and  substance use disorder.

 

Antisocial personality disorder mental illness is difficult to treat clinically because you are unable to recognize that your thoughts and behaviors are harmful. It is common to feel upset or reactive upset when someone offers to help. Understand that treatment for this disorder is available to you when you are ready to get it. It is not easy to do, but treatment keeps you safe and protects people around you.

 

Which medications are used to treat antisocial personality disorder?

There is not a single FDA-approved medicine for antisocial personality disorder. Medication may help you manage depression or erratic moods, aggression. Your psychologist may recommend:

 

• Antidepressants, which may regulate serotonin levels in the brain. Examples commonly include fluoxetine and sertraline.

 

• Anti-psychotics, which can regulate aggression or violent behavior . Examples include quetiapine and risperidone.

 

• Mood stabilizers, which manage severe changes in behavior and mood. Examples include carbamazepine and lithium.

 

Summary

 Many people think of antisocial personality disorder and mental illness as preferring to be alone and not liking the company of others. Rather, ASPD is a severe mental health condition. You act without thinking about the effects of your behaviors or how they leave an impact on others.

Often, a diagnosis and treatment happen under the order of a court as the result of illegal behaviors. This may be a life-saving measure. Understand that treatment is not a punishment. With care and support of people around you, treatment is available to help you get well.