Antisocial personality disorder
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Key facts
- People with antisocial personality disorder may not care about rules, the law or rights of other people.
- They usually don't feel bad for what they do.
- People with antisocial personality disorder are sometimes called 'psychopaths'.
- They don't usually seek help on their own.
- Psychotherapy can be helpful for people with antisocial personality disorder.
What is antisocial personality disorder?
Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is a mental health disorder and type of personality disorder. People with antisocial personality disorder usually do not care about rules, the law or the rights of other people. They may tell lies, behave aggressively or violently, steal or have drug and alcohol problems.
People with antisocial personality disorder may show no remorse and generally do not feel sorry for their actions. They are sometimes called a 'sociopath' or a 'psychopath'.
What are the symptoms of antisocial personality disorder?
There are many warning signs and symptoms that may show a person has antisocial personality disorder.
People with antisocial personality disorder may:
- use charming behaviours to trick or manipulate others for their own personal pleasure
- be irresponsible or disrespect the law and break the law time and time again
- lie, trick and manipulate others
- be impulsive and not plan ahead
- be irritable and aggressive towards others, including being physically abusive towards family members
- disregard their own or others' safety
- not show empathy or guilt for what they have done
People with antisocial personality disorder can have other mental illnesses — such as bipolar disorder. However, their antisocial behaviours are present all the time, not just when they are unwell from other mental illnesses.
Adults with antisocial personality disorder usually showed signs of conduct disorder — another condition involving a lack of concern for other people's rights and feelings — before they turned 15 years.
What are the causes of antisocial personality disorder?
Experts don't know the exact cause of this disorder. Some people with antisocial personality disorder have a family history of it. Others come from families where violence and crime are common.
Some other possible causes are:
- abuse, trauma or neglect in childhood
- poor social contact
How is antisocial personality disorder diagnosed?
To be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, you will need to talk to your doctor. They can refer you to a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist.
You can build a mental health treatment plan with your doctor. This may mean that part of the costs of treatment can be covered by Medicare or by the Australian Government's Better Access program.
A person needs to be at least 18 years old to be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder.
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How is antisocial personality disorder treated?
The main form of treatment for antisocial personality disorder is long-term psychological therapy, such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) or mentalisation based therapy (MBT).
These therapies involve talking and learning about your thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
There are no medicines available to treat antisocial personality disorder. Sometimes people with this condition are prescribed medicines such as antidepressants, antipsychotics or mood stabilisers to help manage other symptoms.
People with antisocial personality disorder don't usually seek treatment because they do not think there is anything wrong with the way they behave.
A common trigger for treatment is if someone has entered the Corrective Services System and are forced to take part in treatment.
Resources and support
If you need help, talking to your doctor is a good place to start.
ASK YOUR DOCTOR — Preparing for an appointment? Use the Question Builder for general tips on what to ask your GP or specialist.
If you'd like to find out more or talk to someone else, here are some organisations that can help:
- SANE Australia (people living with a mental illness) — call 1800 187 263.
- Beyond Blue (anyone feeling depressed or anxious) — call 1300 224 636 or chat online.
- Black Dog Institute (people affected by mood disorders) — online help.
- Lifeline (anyone having a personal crisis) — call 13 11 14, text 0477 13 11 14 or chat online.
- Suicide Call Back Service (anyone thinking about suicide) — call 1300 659 467.
- Head to Health — for advice and to get connected to local mental health services, call 1800 595 212. Check the operating times.
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- Transcultural Mental Health Centre has many resources about wellbeing and mental health in different languages.
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Last reviewed: February 2024
