Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and psychopathy have similarities, and there is overlap between the two diagnoses, but the diagnosis of each of the two conditions is made differently.
Before I describe these two conditions, I want to clarify the terminology further.
In psychiatric language, ASPD, or describing a patient as “antisocial,” has nothing to do with whether one socializes with other people. Of course in everyday language, the term antisocial is often used to mean just that. In psychiatry it means to go against the rules and norms of society.
Likewise, the term psychopathy is not related to the term psychosis. Psychosis refers to a break from reality. The vast majority of psychopaths are fully aware of their actions.
Antisocial personality disorder is a diagnosis described in the DSM-IV TR, the current diagnostic manual for psychiatric diagnoses. It is a diagnosis mostly reflective of a person’s behavior.
Patients diagnosed with it may exhibit any of the following: repeated acts that violate social norms (i.e., illegal activity), deceitfulness, impulsivity, aggression/irritability, repeated disregard for the safety of self or others, irresponsibility, and lack of remorse. For the sake of brevity, I am not including the full DSM description. Click here to view the full DSM-IV TR criteria.
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