Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a mental disorder characterized by a lack of empathy and an inability to show remorse that occurs in adults. In today's everyday life and pop culture, the terms “psychopath” and “sociopath” are often used to describe people with APD, but this is not the case in a clinical context. Clinically, APD is a diagnosis in someone who is chronically manipulative, deceptive, careless, and prone to harm. The condition of each person with APD is different across the spectrum, and shows different levels of symptom severity (not every person with APD is a serial killer or con artist as depicted in the movies), but anyone with APD is difficult to identify. we face in the association and sometimes tend to be dangerous. Learn how to recognize this personality disorder, so you can better protect yourself and the person with it.
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Part 1 of 4: Recognizing the Symptoms of APD
Step 1. Know the clinical diagnostic requirements for PPE
To be diagnosed with APD, a person must exhibit at least three of the antisocial behaviors listed in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM). The DSM book is the official collection of all types of mental disorders and their symptoms, and is used by psychologists to make diagnoses.
Step 2. Learn a history of criminal behavior or detention
A person who has APD certainly has a history of criminal behavior and has been detained for that behavior, whether big or small. This criminal behavior often begins in adolescence and continues into adulthood. People with APD are also more likely to have problems with alcohol or drug addiction, and may have been arrested for possession or use of drugs, or drunk driving.
You may need to check the person's background for yourself, if he is unwilling to tell you about his past
Step 3. Recognize lying or deceptive behavior
People with APD will develop a lifelong habit of compulsive lying, even about trivial or irrelevant matters. As he grows up, this pattern of lying behavior may turn into deception, in which he manipulates others for his own benefit by lying. One symptom associated with this is that such a person has an alias which he can use to hide his true personality, either for the purpose of deceiving others or simply as another form of lying.
Step 4. Observe careless behavior that ignores security
People who have PPE tend to ignore the safety of themselves and others. They can ignore potentially dangerous situations or put themselves or others at risk of harm. On a small scale, this can appear to be driving at high speeds or starting fights with strangers. While on a more extreme scale, this can appear in the form of injuring, torturing or physically neglecting others.
Step 5. Recognize impulsive behavior or failure to plan
One of the common symptoms in people with APD is the inability to make plans, both for things to be done/happened in the short term and in the long term. They are not aware of the link between their current behavior and their long-term consequences, such as how current drug use and being held in prison today may affect their future. They tend to do things immediately without trying to assess the situation, or make decisions that are instantaneous without thinking.
Step 6. Be aware of repeated physical assaults on others
Physical attacks perpetrated by people with PPE can vary widely, from bar fights to kidnapping and torture. However, people with PPE must have a background in physically hurting others, which may or may not have resulted in them being detained. If he has exhibited this behavior since his childhood, this pattern is likely to be seen also when in childhood he hurt other children or their parents or caregivers.
Step 7. Observe a poor work ethic and finances
People with PPE must have difficulty keeping their jobs, are often complained by superiors and coworkers, and may be in debt or have a lot of arrears. Generally, people with PPE are not financially or work stable, and tend to use their money unwisely.
Step 8. Look for signs of a lack of empathy and rationalization for the pain
This is often one of the symptoms associated with PPE conditions, because people with APD are unable to empathize with people who are suffering from pain due to their actions. If he is detained for committing a criminal act, he will rationalize his motives or actions and feel less/unnecessarily remorseful, annoyed, or guilty about his behavior. He will find it difficult to understand the sadness of others that arise because of his behavior.
Part 2 of 4: Dealing with People with APD
Step 1. Avoid contact if possible
While it can be difficult to cut ties with friends or family members, you may need to distance yourself from the person with PPE. You need to do this for the sake of emotional security as well as even your own physical security.
Step 2. Set appropriate boundaries
Keeping in touch with people who have APD can be difficult. If you can't avoid the person with APD, set clear boundaries about what you can accept as an acceptable form of interaction with him.
Due to the nature of the disorder, people with APD tend to test and break boundaries. It's important that you stick around and get counseling or join a support group to help yourself deal with the situation
Step 3. Watch for signs of potentially violent behavior
If you have a relationship with a person with PPE, especially if he or she is also abusing hazardous substances, you need to recognize the danger signs of violent behavior, to protect yourself and others. You can't really predict what's going to happen with absolute accuracy, but Gerald Juhnke recommends that you pay special attention to certain red flags that make up the acronym “DANGERTOME” in English:
- Delusions (delusions associated with violence)
- Aaccess to weapons
- Noted history of violence (a known history of violent behavior)
- Gang involvement (involvement with gangs)
- Expressions of intent to harm others
- Remorselessness about harm inflicted
- Troublesome abuse of alcohol or drugs
- Overt threats of harm to others
- Myopic focus on harming others
- Exclusion from others or increased isolation.
Step 4. Call the police
If you see an increased threat or feel that there is a real threat of violence, contact the police in your location. Maybe you need to take some steps to protect yourself and others.
Part 3 of 4: Understanding PPE
Step 1. Get a diagnosis from a qualified psychologist or psychiatrist
APD can be difficult to identify, because the possible symptoms and variations in their appearance can be very diverse. As a result, there are people who appear to have APD when in fact they do not exhibit strong enough symptoms to be classified as such. Only a qualified mental health professional can provide an official diagnosis. However, you can recognize the signs of this disorder by observing the combination of symptoms, which often appear throughout the sufferer's life.
- APD is very similar to narcissistic personality disorder in many ways, and a person may be diagnosed with symptoms of both at the same time.
- People with APD tend to show a lack of empathy, and exhibit manipulative and deceptive behavior.
Step 2. Don't give amateur diagnoses
You may suspect that someone has APD, but never attempt to "diagnose" the person, unless you are a qualified psychologist or psychiatrist. If the person you suspect has APD is a family member or a friend, try to help him get professional help. Treatment for this disorder can include psychotherapy and rehabilitation.
- Antisocial behavior is not always caused by this personality disorder. Some people do feel comfortable with careless living and are used to bad behavior in the form of a carefree and irresponsible life.
- Note that people with PPE rarely want any treatment or treatment, as they are often convinced that they are not in any trouble at all. You may need to force him to seek help a little while keeping him from committing a crime so that he is imprisoned.
Step 3. Look for signs of PPE throughout the person's life
APD arises because of a unique combination of biological and social factors, which manifest throughout the life of the sufferer. A person with APD will show symptoms since he was a child, but he cannot be officially diagnosed before the age of 18. On the other hand, the symptoms of APD tend to subside over the age of 40-50 years; do not completely disappear, but often diminish due to biological factors or social conditions.
The range of personality disorders is judged to be something that is partly due to genetic factors, so it is unlikely to disappear completely
Step 4. Observe if there is misuse of hazardous substances by people with PPE
People with this disorder often have hidden substance abuse problems, such as drug addiction or drug dependence. An epidemiological survey found that people who have APD are 21 times more likely than people who don't have it in terms of alcohol abuse and dependence. However, this is not always the case. The case of PPE in each person is different, and PPE is not a factor that causes alcohol or drug abuse behavior.
Step 5. Understand that PPE is rare for women
Although scientists have yet to find the exact cause, APD appears mainly in men. Research shows that in three out of four cases of APD, the sufferer is male.
PPE may appear different in men and in women. Men are more likely to exhibit reckless and violent behavior in forms such as traffic violence, cruelty to animals, starting fights, using weapons, and lighting fires, but women are more commonly known to have multiple sexual partners, run away from certain situations, and gamble
Step 6. Identify the history of abuse in the lives of people with PPE
Because biological factors only play a part in causing this disorder, a serious risk factor that can also cause it is prolonged abuse in the sufferer's childhood. People with APD are usually victims of physical and emotional abuse by someone they have had a close relationship with for years. This person had also been the victim of prolonged and repeated neglect as a child. The perpetrators of this abuse or neglect are often the parents of the sufferer themselves, who also have antisocial tendencies that they pass on to their children.
Part 4 of 4: Watch Out for the Early Signs
Step 1. Identify the link between conduct disorder and PPE
Behavioral disorders are an early feature of APD, which appears at an early age. This means, behavioral disorders are APD that appears in children. This can take the form of bullying, neglect of living beings (violent violence to animals), problems of anger and rebellion against authority, inability to show or feel remorse, and other bad or criminal behavior in general.
- Problems with this behavior disorder often appear in childhood and develop before the age of 10 years.
- Most psychologists and psychiatrists view behavioral disorders as the top predictor of a potential diagnosis of APD.
Step 2. Observe the characteristics of the conduct disorder
Behavioral disorders include behavior that intentionally causes harm or harm to others, including attacks on other children, adults, and animals. This is behavior that repeats or develops over time, and is not a one-time behavior. The following behaviors may indicate a conduct disorder problem:
- Pyromania (obsession with fire)
- Prolonged bedwetting
- Cruelty to animals
- Bullying
- Destruction of objects
- Theft.
Step 3. Realize that there are limitations to how behavior disorders can be treated
Behavioral disorders and PPE cannot be easily treated through psychotherapy. Handling needs to be done in a complicated manner by comparing the similarity of the disorders that arise, namely by observing the tendency of behavioral disorders to interact with other disorders, such as problems with substance abuse, mood disorders, or psychopathic behavior.
- The intersection of these types of disorders makes the treatment for these people extraordinarily complicated, because it requires psychotherapy, medication, and other approaches.
- The effectiveness of this multi-faceted approach varies, depending on the severity of each case. More severe cases have a lower chance of successful treatment than milder cases.
Step 4. Differentiate behavior disorder from oppositional defiance disorder (ODD)
Children with ODD tend to rebel against authority, but they still feel responsible for the consequences of their rebellious actions. Such children often rebel against adults, break the rules, and blame others for their problems.
ODD can be successfully treated with psychotherapy and medication. This treatment often involves parents through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in the family, and includes social skills training for the child
Step 5. Don't assume that a conduct disorder always develops into APD
Behavioral disorders can be treated before they develop into APD, especially if the symptoms of the behavior disorder are mild enough.
