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Antisocial Personality Disorder

  • Chapter
The Medical Basis of Psychiatry

Abstract

The present chapter discusses the medical understanding of antisocial personality disorder (APSD), including research concerning its etiology, prevalence, pathology, differential diagnosis, and treatment. ASPD, and the closely related diagnosis of psychopathy, appear to be products of a strong genetic disposition interacting with a variety of environmental contributions. Epidemiological studies indicate that ASPD and psychopathy are much more prevalent in men than in women, a finding that is supported by general personality research. Theories of pathology are numerous, but generally point to several distinct deficits; psychopathy has been associated empirically with abnormal affective processing, neuroanatomical abnormalities, psychophysiological arousal system impairments, deficits in cognitive functioning, and maladaptive personality constellations. While considered diagnostically reliable, ASPD and psychopathy are highly comorbid with substance dependence and narcissistic personality disorder due to similar criteria, making differential diagnosis difficult. Finally, treatment for psychopathy and ASPD remains a very controversial subject; while meta-analytic findings demonstrate positive results, considerable evidence also indicates that these disorders are resistant to typical interventions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    Karen J. Derefinko Ph.D. (Postdoctoral Fellow) & Thomas A. Widiger Ph.D. (Professor)

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  1. Karen J. Derefinko Ph.D.
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  2. Thomas A. Widiger Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Karen J. Derefinko Ph.D. .

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  1. University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    S. Hossein Fatemi

  2. University of New Mexico School of Medicine Pasadena, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, California, California, USA

    Paula J. Clayton

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Derefinko, K.J., Widiger, T.A. (2016). Antisocial Personality Disorder. In: Fatemi, S., Clayton, P. (eds) The Medical Basis of Psychiatry. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2528-5_13

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