ANTI-SOCIAL DISORDER

Anti-Social Disorder

Anti-Social Disorder

Introduction

Disorders involving antisocial behavior, specifically CD and ODD, have been the mental disorders most commonly reported in high-risk children. Elevated antisocial behavior indexes in children of parents with alcohol use disorders and other SUDs have also been noted in several studies.

Adolescents with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) (e.g., alcohol abuse or dependence) have high rates of coexisting (i.e., comorbid) psychopathology (i.e., mental disorders other than alcohol and other drug use disorders). Common comorbid psychopathologies include those that interfere with social functioning (e.g., antisocial disorders) and disorders that cause severe depression or increase anxiety (i.e., negative-affect disorders). One study found that more than 80 percent of adolescents who were dependent on or abused alcohol also had some other form of psychopathology. Among a group of alcohol-dependent adolescents participating in treatment, 89 percent also had conduct disorder (i.e., an antisocial disorder characterized by aggression, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, and the violation of rules), major depressive disorder (i.e., a negative-affect disorder characterized by severe bouts of depression), or both. Understanding the effects of comorbid psychopathology on the development and course of AUDs may enhance preventive and treatment interventions for adolescents with AUDs. (Clark, Duncan B., Bukstein, Oscar G., 1998)

Several prominent studies show that APD is a strong predictor of criminal activity and is exhibited frequently among the prison population (up to 50%), according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (2002). It follows that these studies show a strong connection between the condition and criminality.

For a better understanding of how APD is an indicator for the likelihood of offending, it must be defined. A theory related to mental disorder and violent action is proposed by Blair (1994). This theory states that humans might possess a mechanism called the violence inhibition mechanism (VIM), a cognitive mechanism which, when activated by cues of distress in others, in any individual will initiate a withdrawal response from the situation. The VIM is a prerequisite for the development of three aspects of morality: (1) the moral emotions (e.g., sympathy, guilt, remorse and empathy), (2) the inhibition of violent action that is learned through classical conditioning when any aggressive activity is negatively reinforced, and as a result, over time individuals are less likely to engage in violent activities, and (3) the moral/conventional distinction where moral transgressions are stated and ranked as more serious compared to conventional transgressions (Blair, 1994). Further, Blair (1994) suggests that the lack of VIM will result in the lack of the previously stated three aspects of morality. Behavioral descriptions of “psychopaths” and those with APD such as the early onset of extremely aggressive behavior that is not tempered by any sense of guilt or empathy with the victim are all direct causal predictions of a lack of VIM (Blair, 1994).

Additional evidence supporting APD as a strong predictor of criminal behavior is a study conducted by Samuels et al. (2004) that examined personality dimensions and criminal arrest. A NEO Personality Scale was implemented comparing a group of arrested subjects to those who ...