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PubMed1998

Distinct contributions of conduct and oppositional defiant symptoms to adult antisocial behavior: evidence from an adoption study.

BACKGROUND: We conducted an exploratory multivariate analysis of juvenile behavior symptoms in an adoption data set. One goal was to see if a few DSM-interpretable symptom dimensions economically captured information within the data. A second goal was to study the relationships between any such dimensions, biological and environmental background, and eventual adult antisocial behavior. METHODS: The data originated from a retrospective adoption study. Probands with a biological background for parental antisocial personality or alcoholism were heavily oversampled. Symptoms were ascertained by proband and adoptive parent interview. We performed, by gender, orthogonal rotated principal component analyses of juvenile behavior disturbance symptoms (females, n = 87; males, n = 88). We used structural equation modeling to examine the relationships hypothesized above. RESULTS: For both genders, an oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) component and at least 1 conduct component emerged. Regardless of the conduct component scores, the ODD components were significant predictors of adult antisocial behavior. For males, the ODD component was predicted by an antisocial biological background, but not by scores on the Adverse Adoptive Environment Scale. The conduct components were predicted by adoptive environment alone. For females, biological background or biological-environmental interactions predicted each of the components. CONCLUSIONS: There has been little previous distinction between conduct disorder and ODD in studies of genetic and environmental influences on juvenile behavior. The study suggests that adolescent ODD symptoms may be a distinct antecedent of adult antisocial personality. In males, adolescent ODD symptoms may represent early expression of genetic sociopathic personality traits.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

[DSM III personality diagnosis in a group of chronic offenders].

A group of chronic offenders (n = 44) was investigated and their personality disorders coded according to two different methods, namely the ICD 9 (International Classification of Diseases 9) and the American DSM III (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual III). The total number of personality disorders diagnosed by DSM III was less than by ICD 9. This cannot be attributed only to the fact that according to DSM III cyclothymic disorders do not have a direct correlate in axis II-personality disorders, but are, instead, assigned to the group of affective disorders. The majority of persons in whom the diagnosis of cyclothymic personality disorders was made on ICD 9 were rated as having one of the "extroverted personality disorders" in DSM III. If the personality disorders are combined to form three groups - (a) eccentric (close to psychoses), (b) extroverted and (c) introverted - then the overall correlation between ICD 9 and DSM III is considerable. The DSM III system promises a higher reliability due to the existence of criteria for inclusion and exclusion. The diagnosis "borderline personality disorder" was compared with the DIB Gunderson interview (kappa 0.89). In the international classification DSM III borderline personality disorder was equivalent to a diagnosis of cyclothymic, irritable, hysteric or sociopathic personality disorder.

Borderline Personality Disorder↗
PubMed1995

A new method for detecting brain disorder by measuring perseveration in personality inventory responses.

A 130-item personality inventory (the Psychological Screening Inventory, Lanyon, 1970) was used to obtain a novel measure of perseveration coupled with affirmative set. Acquiescent Perseveration (AP), a quantitative behavioral metric, is the sum of the lengths of True (T) response runs 4 and longer, doubling T runs 9 and longer. With male subjects, a one-way ANOVA comparison of heterogeneous organics with five non-organic control groups (normals, neurotics, sociopaths, personality disorders, and schizophrenics) showed mean AP differences greater than .001 versus every control group. The measure, requiring no scoring key, was successfully cross-validated with six similar female groups. AP means for non-organics showed no increase across 5 decades of age. In small supplementary studies AP was related inversely to Shipley Abstraction (Shipley, 1940, 1946) scores and directly to the Halstead-Reitan Impairment Index (Reitan & Davison, 1974). AP, uncorrected for age, IQ or education, matches the best single cognitive neuropsychological tests in distinguishing organics from psychiatric patients. Inventory response sequences contain previously unrecognized latent data sensitive to neuropathology.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1986

The drug abuse-delinquency connection revisited.

Ninety-one delinquent adolescents were interviewed with respect to their personal and family drug use and criminal behavior. No significant gender differences with respect to drug use were found. Females, however, committed more crimes against property than did males. The drug use-delinquency association was explored and findings indicated that subjects saw a stronger causal relationship between drug use and subsequent criminal behavior than was found in the current study or past research. A multifactorial association between drug abuse and delinquency behaviors as part of a spectrum of sociopathic personality development was supported.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Introduction: perspectives on therapy with gay, lesbian, and bisexual clients.

The approach that mental health professionals have taken in working with gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) clients has changed dramatically over the past 25 years. Once viewed as being pathological in nature-either a sociopathic personality disorder or a sexual deviation-homosexuality is no long conceptualized as a "disorder" and instead is viewed within the broader context of human diversity. Even with such changes, many mental health professionals nonetheless retain subtle biases against working with gay, lesbian, and bisexual clients, and often lack the necessary information for working with them effectively. This issue of In Session provides a series of articles designed to help practicing therapists to become better aware of those clinical issues if they are to work with GLB individuals-which they are likely to do.

Bisexuality↗
PubMed1996

Medical-Legal Inferences From Functional Neuroimaging Evidence.

Positron emission (PET) and single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) are validated functional imaging techniques for the in vivo measurement of many neuro-phsyiological and neurochemical parameters. Research studies of patients with a broad range of neurological and psychiatric illness have been published. Reproducible and specific patterns of altered cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism, however, have been demonstrated and confirmed for only a limited number of specific illnesses. The association of functional scan patterns with specific deficits is less conclusive. Correlations of regional abnormalities with clinical symptoms such as motor weakness, aphasia, and visual spatial dysfunction are the most reproducible but are more poorly localized than lesion-deficit studies would suggest. Findings are even less consistent for nonlocalizing behavioral symptoms such as memory difficulties, poor concentration, irritability, or chronic pain, and no reliable patterns have been demonstrated. In a forensic context, homicidal and sadistic tendencies, aberrant sexual drive, violent impulsivity, psychopathic and sociopathic personality traits, as well as impaired judgement and poor insight, have no known PET or SPECT patterns, and their presence in an individual with any PET or SPECT scan finding cannot be inferred or concluded. Furthermore, the reliable prediction of any specific neurological, psychiatric, or behavioral deficits from specific scan findings has not been demonstrated. Unambiguous results from experiments designed to specifically examine the causative relationships between regional brain dysfunction and these types of complex behaviors are needed before any introduction of functional scans into the courts can be considered scientifically justified or legally admissible.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1984

Factitial aplastic anemia.

A 29-year-old married nurse with pancytopenia was discovered to be surreptitiously ingesting alkylating agents. Despite her life-threatening behavior, there was no evidence that she was psychotic, depressed, or cognitively impaired. Psychological testing was indicative of a sociopathic personality. The patient and her behavior elicited considerable affect and controversy among members of her health team. It is hypothesized that the patient's behavior resulted from longstanding low self-esteem. The production of a dramatic illness gratified dependency needs and fooling physicians gave her a sense of power.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

"Sociopathy" and its synonyms: inappropriate diagnoses in child psychiatry.

The use of the diagnosis "sociopathy" and its synonyms hinders the search for other kinds of symptomatology, the recognition of which might lead to appropriate therapeutic intervention. The authors therefore suggest that the terms "sociopathic personality," "antisocial personality," and "acting out aggressive reaction of childhood or adolescence" be eliminated as primary diagnoses from the psychiatric nomenclature for children or adolescents. Two case reports are presented to emphasize the damage these diagnoses can cause.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Triplets where monozygotic siblings are concordant for arson.

Triplets are described where the two genetically identical brothers are arsonists and both have sociopathic personality disorder rated using the Personality Assessment Schedule. The third, non-identical brother has not committed arson and does not have a personality disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

A criminal offender introspective report.

The development of a new scale suitable for research with the criminal offender was described. Based on the factor analysis of an item pool delineating sociopathic personality traits, five factors were derived to compose an 80-item criminal offender introspective report (COIR).

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗
PubMed1975

Defense mechanisms in men and women alcoholics.

The responses of men and women alcoholics to the Defense Mechanism Inventory showed that the women scored significantly higher in "turning against self" and the men in "turning against others." Although such differences may underlie reported sex differences in the incidence of depression and sociopathic personality disorder, they have also been found in studies of nonalcoholics and psychiatric outpatients.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sociopathy: genesis and development.

A complex study of a sample of 1,029 children and young people cared for in orphanages revealed the increased incidence of the disorders of behaviour in these categories (33%) with great difficulties of post-school integration (70%). Factors like: affective frustration, noxious family climate intellectual handicap, socializing defect, school failure, etc. are deeply involved in the genesis of juvenile maladjustment and it further on can be found within the nucleus of the sociopathic personality and in adult's deviance.

Adolescent↗