The Antisocial Personality Disorder of the DSM-IV-TR - Findings, Subgroups and Differences to Psychopathy

摘要

The diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is based on robust scientific evidence identifying a group of individuals who display antisocial behaviour from a very young age that remains stable across the life-span. This population of persons with ASPD is heterogeneous, composed of distinct sub-types defined by comorbid disorders. Evidence indicates that ASPD is distinct from both psychopathy, as defined by the PCL-R, and from Dissocial Personality Disorder, as defined by ICD-10. Studies of the prevalence of ASPD are reviewed, highlighting the difficulties inherent in designing and conducting investigations of community samples that derive accurate estimates. The few studies of the socio-demographic correlates of ASPD are presented followed by a review of the evidence on disorders that are comorbid with ASPD. Finally, a hypothesis is presented for orienting future research on the aetiology of ASPD and the development of effective programmes for reducing violence among persons with ASPD.