Antisocial behavior and personality disorders.

D M Svrakic; K McCallum

doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1991.45.2.181

Home/Archive/PubMed

PubMed · 2069200

Antisocial behavior and personality disorders.

D M Svrakic·K McCallum

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Present classifications fall short of helping clinicians to systematically approach syndromes of antisocial (A-S) behavior. Various clinical forms of A-S behavior derive from different levels of personality organization (normal, neurotic, and borderline level) whereas certain personality disorders (PD) display specific antisocial "profiles" and form the horizontal continuum of antisocial behavior. The borderline level of personality and pathological narcissism stand behind A-S PD, Narcissistic PD, and Histrionic PD. The authors propose that the disorders should be regarded as spectrum disorders. Paranoid PD and "pure" Borderline PD complete the list of PDs manifesting A-S behaviors. Finally, diagnostic instruments for clinical approach to and research of A-S PD are presented.

Explore related subjects

Antisocial Personality Disorder Criminal Psychology Diagnosis, Differential Humans Models, Psychological Personality Disorders Self Concept Journal Article Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.Review

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

D M Svrakic, K McCallum. 1991. Antisocial behavior and personality disorders.. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1991.45.2.181

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2007

Patterns of psychopathology in the families of children with conduct problems, depression, and both psychiatric conditions.

Comorbid conduct problems (CPs) and depression are observed far more often than expected by chance, which is perplexing given minimal symptom overlap. In this study, relations between parental psychopathology and children's diagnostic status were evaluated to test competing theories of comorbidity. Participants included 180 families with an 8-12-year-old child diagnosed with CPs, depression, both conditions, or neither condition. Although no single theory of comorbidity was supported fully, evidence suggested that CPs and depression may be inherited separately. Paternal antisocial characteristics and maternal depression provided independent prediction of both child depression and CPs. However, paternal antisocial behavior moderated the effect of maternal depression on CPs. For children with antisocial fathers, CPs were observed regardless of maternal depression levels. In contrast, a strong relation was observed between CPs and maternal depression for children without antisocial fathers.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗

PubMed2007

Kidnapping: a criminal profile of persons convicted 1979-2001.

Kidnapping has been a neglected crime in criminological research. In fact, there has been a dramatic increase in the yearly numbers of police recorded kidnapping offences in England and Wales in the last 25 years, but this has not been matched by a similar increase in convictions. This study focuses on the official criminal histories of the 7042 males and 545 females who were convicted at least once for kidnapping between 1979 and 2001. Of these, 3.9% of the males and 2.6% of the females had convictions for kidnapping on more than one occasion. We examined two subgroups to ensure long observation periods for prior and subsequent convictions. Of those convicted of kidnapping in 2001, around one-half (51.1%) of the males and around one-third (36.6%) of the females had previous convictions. The previous convictions consist of a wide range of offences, with the most common being theft and violent offences. A 20-year follow-up of those convicted in 1979-81 showed that three in five males and one in three females are subsequently convicted on at least one more occasion for a standard-list offence. An examination of convictions for other offences brought to court at the same time as the kidnap offence enabled a typology of kidnaps to be proposed. Those kidnaps with co-convictions of an acquisitive nature declined over the period, whereas other types, including sexual and violent, showed rises. Changing shifts in the nature of kidnaps have important policy implications.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗

PubMed2006

Can high-risk offenders be reliably identified? A follow-up study on dangerous offenders in Switzerland released from prison for legal reasons.

After the recent introduction of preventive detention in Germany, the Swiss national council has passed a similar law. In both these countries, as well as other nations, there is a controversial debate on post-sentence preventive detention of offenders who are found to be very dangerous during enforcement of sentence. Empirical results as to if and how far post-sentence preventive detention is sensible and appropriate are lacking, due to the scarcity of such cases and the need for systematic observation and long survey periods. In all cases used in the present study, a very high dangerousness was assessed during enforcement of sentence, but release had to be granted for legal reasons. With a total of nine cases (all registered from 1997 to 2005), these high-risk offenders represented a small and narrowly defined group, ie 2% of all violent and sex offenders administered by the Canton of Zurich. They also differ from the main population regarding socio-demographics and psychiatric and criminological aspects. It was possible to evaluate the progress of eight of the released offenders in a follow-up study. All eight offenders re-offended with grave violent and sex offences, seven within a year of their release, causing a total of twenty-four victims. The present study supports the supposition that at least some categories of very dangerous offenders can be reliably detected. It also supports the notion that systematic risk assessment during enforcement of sentence, using all obtainable information, can help prevent serious violent and sex offences. Furthermore, the results also illustrate the necessity of post-sentence preventive detention of a small number of high-risk offenders as an important measure for the protection of potential victims.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗