Sociopathic Personality Disorder - Essay Example

Sociopathic Personality Disorder of the Nursing Name of the Concerned Professor November 16, 2011 Sociopathic Personality Disorder Sociopathic Personality Disorder is a mental health condition that involves a disorder or disability of mind, which may or may not be accompanied by a noticeable impairment in the intelligence, which makes a patient act in a manner that either tends to be aggressive in a discernibly abnormal way or tends to be grossly and seriously irresponsible (Gill, 2007, P. 121). Most of the sociopaths happen to be males and they persistently behave in a manner which is incompatible with their culture and is also damaging to them.

Sociopaths depict a serious inability to learn from experience. Sociopaths are seriously incapable of delaying the need for immediate gratifications. They lack the capacity to retain relationships for long time. They are highly unstable in the personal, professional and social aspects of their life, resulting in scenarios like unstable careers, tendency to frequently change residence, multiple sex partners, etc. The symptoms may also include substance abuse and criminal behavior. It has been found that roughly 5 percent of the patients suffering from Sociopathic Personality Disorder commit suicide (Gill, 2007, p. 122) Psychotherapy in groups comprising of other sociopaths has been found to be quiet effective in the management of Sociopathic Personality Disorder.

The whole objective of this psychotherapy is to help the patients take responsibility for their own actions and behavior. Individual psychotherapy has been found to be ineffective owing to a lack of compliance. Antipsychotics like Lithium are often sometimes resorted to, to control and manage aggression and mood swings in sociopaths. References Gill, David. (2007). Hugh’s Outline of Modern Psychiatry. New York: Wiley.