Personality Disorder and Criminal Behavior

Personality Disorder and Criminal Behavior

Rebecca Ledbetter

CRJ 308

Instructor:  Tamara Schnepel

Date:  05/07/2017

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASP) is a diagnosis that is only given to those 18 and older (McMurran & Howard, 2009).  An individual must display evidence that a similar disorder to ASP took place in childhood for a diagnosis to be given in adulthood.  One such disorder is Conduct Disorder (CD) which must be present prior to the age of 15-years-old for an adult onset of ASP will be diagnosed.  “Conduct disorder is characterized by behavior that violets either the rights of others or major societal norms.  These symptoms must be present for at least three months with one symptom having been present in the past six months.  To be diagnoses with conduct disorder, the symptoms must cause significant impairment in social, academic or occupational functioning” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, para 2).
The signs a child must display are aggressive behavior, violence towards others as well as animals, the destruction of others properties, dishonesty, theft, and being disobedient of any rules (McMurran & Howard, 2009).  Upon being diagnoses with CD, an adult would need to display signs of after the age of 15-years-old to be diagnosed with ASP.  These individuals that have been diagnosed with ASP go through life continuing to conform to the social norms of abiding the laws, assaults, and fights with others, never having any regard for others safety or even their own safety, and they hold no remorse for anything they do too others.

Callous-Unemotional traits (CU) displayed by children are displaying a lack of emotions, they do not feel guilty and they hold no empathy when anyone gets hurt.  When a child displays antisocial behaviors early on they are at a far greater risk for having antisocial and or criminal behavior as an adult, this pattern is called “life-course persistent antisocial behavior” (Viding et al., 2005, p. 592).  Children can show signs of CD as young as 4 years of age (Sagepub, 2008).  When a child grows up being with neglect and abuse, the risk of developing ASP as an adult becomes more likely (Luntz & Cathy, 1994).  Acquiring help for a child upon noticing such traits of CD within a child’s behavior and personality will benefit in forming a better path and life into adulthood for that child.  

Treatment for ASP include utilizing psychotherapy, also called talk therapy.  Psychotherapy or talk therapy doesn’t always hold a positive outcome, especially if the individual is not willing admit that the problem lies within themselves.  There are no medications that are regularly given to treat ASP and there are no medications that have been approved at this time for the treatment of ASP.  However, medications used to help with aggression such as antidepressants or stabilizing one’s mood are being utilized in controlling some of the symptoms of ASP.  Yet, the potential for abuse behind these medications is extremely high, so the patient’s need to be monitored regularly.