Anti-social Personality Disorder

A person suffering from Anti-social Personality Disorder, also known as sociopathy, shows no regards to right, wrong or the other person’s emotions and treats them with harshness, while looking at them with indifferences. Some form of this disorder exists in 0.2 per cent to 3 per cent of the general population. In psychiatric outpatients, it ranges from 3 per cent to 30 per cent. Anti-social personality disorder can be caused by various factors, namely:

Environmental factors:  A person usually develops such personality traits in an environment that is not supportive and doesn’t reward or appreciate any kind of positive behaviour.

Genetic or biological factors: Social traits are highly heritable. The physiological responses get same, such as a flat response to stress, getting less anxious.

Brain anatomy: The frontal lobe (governs all the judgement and planning) of a person with disorder also shows a structural difference when compared to that of an average person’s frontal lobe.

Symptoms of Anti-social Personality Disorder include:

• Continuously performing unlawful acts
• Conning others for personal pleasure
• Impulsiveness
• Actively getting involved in physical fights
• Disregarding safety of oneself or others
• Irresponsible at office and for one’s financial obligations
• Lack of remorse while interacting with people.