Antisocial personality disorder, sometimes called sociopathy, is a mental condition in which a person consistently shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights and feelings of others. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to antagonise, manipulate or treat others harshly or with callous indifference. They show no guilt or remorse for their behaviour.

It's important to note that not all people who exhibit these behaviours have this personality disorder. Some people with antisocial personality disorder may not have much trouble functioning in society, while others may have difficulty staying employed and forming and keeping relationships. Many aspects of the disorder can cause damage to the person themselves as well as those around them.

Antisocial Personality Disorder, often referred to as sociopathy, has many symptoms and traits associated with it.

• The disregard for others is shown by being callous, cynical, and disrespectful of the feelings, rights, and sufferings of other people.
• The person may have a history of being in trouble with the law or have had legal problems because of their behaviour (such as criminal activity).
• He/she may have few if any friends or not be able to bond with anyone at all including his/her family members.
• He/she tends to be impulsive in nearly everything that they do without thinking ahead first before acting out their next move.

Someone with antisocial personality disorder will typically display these traits:

• Disregard for others' feelings—a lack of empathy and regard for others' feelings. This can include being indifferent to other people's suffering, showing no guilt over hurting others, or violating the rights of others.
• Persistent lying or deceitfulness—repeatedly lying to exploit others for personal gain or pleasure, using charm or wit to manipulate people for personal gain or pleasure, repeatedly breaking promises without remorse, speaking insincerely with the intent to deceive or mislead.
• Using manipulation and exploitation to control others—manipulating people by playing on their emotions (e.g., guilt trips), making promises that one has no intention of keeping just as a way to get what one wants from someone else (e.g., money), convincing other people that they need something from you when this is not true but you will benefit from it financially (i.e., gambling), taking advantage of other people's good nature by pretending they have an obligation towards you when they do not owe you anything at all
• Use of aliases, conning others for personal profit or pleasure, and lack of remorse for having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another. People with this disorder develop antisocial habits over time and lie about everything from where they were born to their criminal record. They've deceived so many people that it's hard for them to remember what they've said in the past about themselves or others.
• Using charm or wit to manipulate others for personal gain or personal pleasure.
• Arrogance, a sense of superiority and being extremely opinionated. This can be seen as a lack of humility or respect for others. For example, someone may believe that they are better than other people because they are smarter or more attractive than them. Another way this might manifest is in thinking they are more important than others; so much so that they feel it's okay to treat other people poorly and not care how their actions affect those around them.
• Recurring problems with the law, including criminal behaviour.

It’s important to note that not all people with antisocial personality disorder are going to be completely lacking in empathy. Some are capable of feeling compassion and concern for others, but tend to lack these feelings in most situations. Others might show some empathy for particular individuals, but don’t care about other people at all.

In addition to being indifferent or unsympathetic towards others, those with antisocial personality disorder often fail to feel guilty or remorseful about the negative things they do or say. They may also treat others in a disrespectful way (e.g., lying) without remorse because they believe doing so is acceptable behaviour.

If you or someone you know has Antisocial Personality Disorder, this may be a recurring problem. Those with APD often have difficulty in following the law, rules and regulations. They may also have trouble paying attention to any kind of authority figure, including police officers or judges.

People with Antisocial Personality Disorder often commit criminal acts such as:

• Breaking and entering
• Assaulting others
• Stealing from others

Psychiatrists and psychologists don't know exactly what causes antisocial personality disorder, but they have some ideas. These include:

• Genes: A person's genes influence how they think and behave. Scientists have identified certain genes that may increase the risk of developing antisocial personality disorder.
• Environment: The environment includes anything outside your body that could affect your health, such as air pollution or chemicals in water supplies. Environmental factors can also include things like parents who are violent or abusive towards each other or their children; this may lead to abuse within families when children try to cope with stressful situations by taking out their anger on others instead (e.g., bullying classmates).

Because antisocial personality disorder is difficult to treat, many people do not seek help. However, psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, seems to be the most effective form of treatment for this disorder. Medication may be used to help control specific symptoms such as depression or mood swings.

The exact cause of antisocial personality disorder is unknown; however researchers have discovered a number of factors that may contribute to the development of this condition. Some studies have shown that people who develop antisocial personality disorder often had difficult childhoods with parents who did not provide them with appropriate care and guidance during their formative years. Other research has focused on possible genetic and environmental causes as well.

Conclusion

If you have antisocial personality disorder, the prognosis is good if you seek help. Early treatment of the condition is important because many people with this disorder do not seek help on their own. The success of treatment depends a great deal on your willingness to change and your level of participation in therapy and other treatments for the disorder. The more willing you are to work with your therapist, the better you'll do.