TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER
Antisocial Personality Disorder: Also referred to as sociopathy or psychopathy interventions for people with antisocial personality disorder are poorly researched and direct evidence on the treatment of this population is scarce (British Psychological Society; 2010). it is also hard to assess how effective the available treatments are in dealing with APD’s symptoms.
Antisocial personality disorder is one of the most difficult personality disorders to treat. People with the disorder rarely seek treatment on their own. Treatment is usually by force for eg. when required to by a court, the threat of termination of employment, impending divorce etc. (Grossmann, 2004 pg. 182).
Treatment
Even when diagnosed it can be difficult to treat the disorder. This is largely because by definition people with the disorder do not care that they are causing pains and problems, “they are possessed of an absent or defective conscience, restraints must usually be provided by external forces” (Grossman et al. 2004 pg. 182).
Incarceration/criminal justice system: Sometimes hospitalization in a mental facility or incarceration during the most active criminal periods in a prison facility are necessary treatment steps. The majority of individuals receiving interventions for APD and associated problems will be in the criminal justice system – with the intervention provided by the probation or prison services. The aim being to reduce the offending behavior (British Psychological Society. (2010) p.g. 2) and reduces their behaviors’ social impact. Most psychological interventions in the prisons are cognitive behavioural and to a great extent based on social learning theory, a development of behavioural learning models which have been adapted to take account of findings from cognitive and developmental psychology (Bandura, 2001 as cited