Sociopath is a label given to an individual who displays antisocial attitude. A sociopath has utter disregard for other people’s rights, which is their primary trait. A sociopath doesn’t fit within the description of a person who has healthy behavior patterns by the society. The symptoms mostly become noticeable in an individual after the age of 15 and, if not treated, these traits can continue growing into adulthood.
Sociopaths are physically aggressive and unable to hold on to any standing in life. These are apparent symptoms. It’s really hard for sociopaths to stay in relationships. They don’t have any regrets for their actions. Though they have these symptoms, they are not always easy to spot. Some researches show that a sociopath is more often than not an identity with a lot of wit and charm. They may act considerate and friendly but these qualities are artificial and used by sociopaths to trick others around them. Almost all sociopaths use drugs and alcohol on general basis. These are often used by them extensively and may intensify their personality of being antisocial. A sociopath also may want to get around his/her feelings of being low in self confidence through the use of drugs and alcohol.
The causes are usually either circumstantial or acquired through genes. If parents are antisocial their kids will also have the traits of being so. A sociopath’s behavioral pattern may also be shaped by the persons they look upon as role models; this may be their peers or friends. Guys are more likely to be antisocial than women. While 3% of men are affected by this condition, women with antisocial personality add up to only 1%.
Diagnosing Antisocial Disorder is comparatively easy compared to other personality disorders. It is highly not likely that a sociopath would willingly go through the treatment. More often than not medical attention is sought only at times when ordered by a court of law. The sociopath is likely to show resistance to both diagnosis and treatment in such cases. In order to diagnose Antisocial Personality Disorder there must be affirmation that the person was diagnosed having conduct disorder from childhood. The subject also should have the minimum of three of the diagnostic criteria set for APD.
Treatment method for sociopaths varies from case to case. The specific diagnosis of the patient, medical history, age, environment, physical health, and various diverse elements need to be considered by the doctor. In case the individual has other illnesses such as depression, alcoholism, or schizophrenia etc., suitable treatment for such conditions will help the individual overcome his sociopathic tendencies.
The 3 major ways of treating sociopaths are via some therapy types, physical treatment and meds. There are 3 types of therapies that can be practiced to treat the patients, those are behavioral therapy, psychotherapy and cognitive therapy. Behavioral therapy is based on the hypothesis that the subject has learned immoral behavior from his or her close environment during childhood. Based on the antisocial responses learnt in the past the person having Antisocial Personality acts to the stimulus in the environment he or she is now in. Next after identifying the triggers caused by environment which result in the antisocial responses, new behaviors are trained for coping with the environment. By the mentioned method, it is counted on that positive behaviors will take the place of the undesirable behaviors. Cognitive therapy, on the other hand, is based on the belief that our thoughts manage our behavior. So the behavior can be changed if the disoriented feelings and thoughts are replaced. Therapeutic modeling is also used sometimes, where the subject observes how a regular person deals with tough situations effectively. Psychotherapy takes a more understanding path by analyzing the past incidents in the individual’s life and forces him understand the underlying causes of his behavior.
