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Article: Antisocial personality disorder
- Article from:
- Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Antisocial personality disorder
Definition
Also known as psychopathy, sociopathy or dyssocial personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a
diagnosis
applied to persons who routinely behave with little or no regard for the rights, safety or feelings of others. This pattern of behavior is seen in children or young adolescents and persists into adulthood.
The most recent edition of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
(the fourth edition, text revision or
DSM-IV-TR
) classifies APD as one of four "Cluster B Personality Disorders" along with borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic
personality disorders
.
Description
People diagnosed with APD ...