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Antisocial Personality Disorder

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM-IV-TR recognizable by the disordered individual's disregard for social rules and norms, impulsive behavior, and indifference to the rights and feelings of others. The World Health Organization's ICD-10 diagnostic manual uses dissocial personality disorder instead. The concept psychopathy generally denotes a related but more severe personality disorder.

Sociopathy is sometimes claimed to be, a less formal synonym for this disorder based on terminology from an older edition of the DSM. Various experts have co-opted the terms psychopathy and sociopathy inconsistently to mark differences in meaning they believe are theoretically important although there is a consensus that both terms refer to personality disorders with prominent norm-breaking and socially disruptive behavior.

Central to understanding individuals diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder is that they appear to experience a limited range of human emotions. This can explain their lack of empathy for the suffering of others, since they cannot experience the emotion associated with either empathy or suffering. Risk-seeking behavior and substance abuse may be attempts to escape feeling empty or emotionally void. The rage exhibited by psychopaths and the anxiety associated with certain types of antisocial personality disorder may represent the limit of emotion experienced, or there may be physiological responses without analogy to emotion experienced by others.

Research has shown that individuals with antisocial personality disorder are indifferent to the possibility of physical pain or many punishments, and show no indications that they experience fear when so threatened. This may explain their apparent disregard for the consequences of their actions, and their aforementioned lack of empathy.

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Antisocial Personality Disorder

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  • how to accept nephews anti-social behaviour 28 yr. old nephew living with 50 yr. old aunt, 54 yr. old uncle. both of us have poor health. been living with us for 3 mo. now. he tried to take his life 6 times now, the last attempt he came to us to live. he has been diagnosed with social phobia, depression. I'm having an extremely hard time dealing with his lack of love for people. he plays warcraft or on the computer non stop. he says he doesn't like people, says he doesn't care about anything. says he doesn't have anything to do if not on computer. when we told him that we don't allow all this computer game playing, he went into his shell. he's in therapy, $135 per session, about 7 sessions now, plus we've taken him every 2 weeks to a pastor at Emmanuel Faith Church, went thru the victory from darkness series. he didn't do well at all at his 1st celebrate recovery meeting. he accepted Christ over a month ago, but ,and i hate to think it, just did it to make my husband & myself happy. it's very up setting, & making me ill watching him day after day on these computer games. my husband & i are at odds, been married 33 yrs. don't want our nephew to leave, he'd be home-less, might try suicide again-uggg... what to do with some one who doesn't like people & doesn't care. i'm in mental turmoil here.........AUNT IN ANGUISH

    Asked By: [dawn sutton]
    [See or Give An Answer]
  • how to accept nephews anti-social behaviour 28 yr. old nephew living with 50 yr. old aunt, 54 yr. old uncle. both of us have poor health. been living with us for 3 mo. now. he tried to take his life 6 times now, the last attempt he came to us to live. he has been diagnosed with social phobia, depression. I'm having an extremely hard time dealing with his lack of love for people. he plays warcraft or on the computer non stop. he says he doesn't like people, says he doesn't care about anything. says he doesn't have anything to do if not on computer. when we told him that we don't allow all this computer game playing, he went into his shell. he's in therapy, $135 per session, about 7 sessions now, plus we've taken him every 2 weeks to a pastor at Emmanuel Faith Church, went thru the victory from darkness series. he didn't do well at all at his 1st celebrate recovery meeting. he accepted Christ over a month ago, but ,and i hate to think it, just did it to make my husband & myself happy. it's very up setting, & making me ill watching him day after day on these computer games. my husband & i are at odds, been married 33 yrs. don't want our nephew to leave, he'd be home-less, might try suicide again-uggg... what to do with some one who doesn't like people & doesn't care. i'm in mental turmoil here.........AUNT IN ANGUISH

    Asked By: [dawn sutton]
    [See or Give An Answer]

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