L4 Psychopathy and Mental Health Conditions Flashcards
What is ADHD in DSM?
Persistent pattern of inattention and hyperactivity
Symptoms before 12 yrs
Symptoms interfere with functioning
No better explained by anything else
What are the symptoms of ADHD?
Inattention to detail
Trouble paying attention to a task
Does not follow instruction
Trouble organising
Loses things
Easily distracted
Forgetful
Fidgets
Run and climbs about
Trouble enjoying leisure activities quietly
Trouble waiting for their turn
Interrupts
What is the prevalence of ADHD?
3 different types:
- predominantly inattentive (20-30%)
- hyperactive-impulse subtypes (15%)
- combined presentation of 1 and 2 (50-75%)
In UK 3% of the population
Male to female ration 3:1
How does ADHD link to offending?
Young and Thome 2011
45% of youths and 24% of male adults in the CJS have a history of ADHD
14% have persisting symptoms
Is there a link to age for the onset of criminal activity in those with ADHD?
Those with ADHD in childhood committed their first crime before 15
Significantly younger than controls at the time of arrest
Men with ADHD have an earlier onset of crime
What is the age dependant decline in offending?
Declining rates of ADHD with age in offender populations
Findings of an overrepresentation of ADHD in adolescent and young adult offender
What research has been done into the types of crimes committed by those with ADHD?
Vaa 2014 - ADHD increases risk for violations of road traffic rules compared to those without ADHD
Mohr-Jensen 2016 meta analysis - assault, theft, drugs were among the most frequent for contact with the CJS
What was Young’s key findings from their research in the Scottish Prison?
Examined effects of ADHD on critical incidents of aggression
Self report ADHD and antisocial personality disorder
Results were higher in those with ADHD symptoms
But SD was much bigger in those with ADHD symptoms
What did Retz 2004 find about the age of offending?
Those with ADHD would be 15yrs old by the time they commit first crime
Those without ADHD would not commit crime until 17
What is Retz 2004 big five findings?
Neuroticism
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
How does medication influence the outcome?
Associated with reduced risk of offending
Boland 2020 - ADHD medication is associated with decrease in offending behaviours (better moods)
But not everyone has access to medication
What is conduct disorder in the DSM?
Disregard for others
No self control
Antisocial behaviour
Violate the rights of others
Inappropriate behaviour for age
Starts as early as 10
What is the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder?
Aggression to people and animals
Bullies and intimidate
Weapon usage
Cruel to animals
Forced sexual activity
Destroy property
Theft
Violation of rules
What is the prevalence of CD?
2-2.5%
3-4% in boys and 1-2% in girls
Minimal research on genders
Increased in the prevalence of CD in recent years ??
Research in US concluded no difference in ethnic groups or SES
Little evidence that it varied between countries
What is the prevalence of CD in offenders?
23-87% of those in juvi have CD
- poor educational performance
- social isolation
- substance misuse
- increased contact with CJS
What are the cognitive factors of CD?
Executive function difficulties
Interact with environmental factors
IQ one standard deviation below the mean
What are the structural and functional brain differences?
Decreased response in OFC regions during stimulus reinforcement
Decrease grey matter volume in the amygdala
Difficulty processing social economic stimuli
Neurochemical differences - decreased serotonin
How do genetics influence CD?
Sibling or parent with CD increases likelihood of heritability
Stronger genetic link for childhood-onset compared to adolescent onset
Genetic contribution is not stable over time - partly different genes contribute to CD
How does poverty influence CD?
Decreased parental involvement and inadequate supervision reinforces defiant behaviour
How do parents and peers influence a child?
CD associated with single parents, large family size, young mothers
How are CD and ADHD linked together?
Foley 1996 found:
Both are associated with juvenile delinquency
CD reported to be present in 50% of people diagnosed with ADHD
ADHD leads to poor school performance leading to dropouts and CD risk?
What are the differences between ADHD and CD according to Ferfusson?
CD - highly linked to offending behaviour, but unrelated to school achievement when accounting for combined ADHD
ADHD - correlated with academic difficulty, but unrelated to offending behaviour when CD was controlled
What is the diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) according to the DSM?
Pervasive pattern of disregard and violation of rights
18+
Evidence of CD before 15 yrs
Not during course of schizophrenia or bipolar
- failure to conform to social norms
- impulsive
- irritable
- irresponsible
What is the prevalence of ASPD?
Increase prevalence in families
Increase in lower SES due to middle class judgement???
Symptoms in the childhood tend to diminish across lifespan
4% of people age 25-34
2-5% of the UK
How does ASPD link to offending?
Strong predictors of offending behaviour
ASPD exists much higher prevalence among incarcerated populations
Higher recidivism risk in adulthood than non-afflicted offenders
What is Moffitt’s Dual Taxonomy Theory?
Life-course persistent offenders
Offending initiated at early ages
Chronic offending patterns through life
What was Black et al 2010 research into ASPD and offending?
Random sample of 320 incarcerated offenders
Less female than male
ASPD in 113 subjects - no gender different
Combined with ADHD - increased suicide risk, decrease MH functioning
What is a psychopath?
No ability to feel empathy or remorse
Manipulation and narcissism
What are the early signs of psychopathy?
Lack of guilt
Shallow
Lack of empathy
Manipulation
Grandiose sense of self-worth
What is the prevalence of Psychopathy?
0.3-2%
Slightly higher rates in men
Higher in prison - 15-25% is it because its a risk factor
What have different psychologists found about psychopathy and recidivism?
Hart 1988 - 80% recidivism in psychopaths compared to 25% in non-psychopaths
Serin and Amos - 65% recidivism in psychopaths compared to 25% in non-psychopaths
Hare 2000 - 80% recidivism in psychopaths compared to 40% in non-psychopaths
How does gang membership link to offending?
Company of others make it appealing
Want to be the best
Watchmen during crime
Rewards
Active interaction with delinquents
Limited research into gangs and psychopathy
How does substance us link to psychopathy?
Small number of adolescents with psychopathic traits accounted for a disproportionate amount of delinquency and substance use
Facilitates the display of psychopathic features - risky decisions, aggression
Alcohol lowers remorse even more
What is the neural bases of psychopathy?
Amygdala lesions
Aversive conditioning
Startle response
Passive avoidance learning
Recognition of fearful faces - less reactive
Orbital and ventrolateral frontal cortex regulates amygdala
Linked to reactive aggression
What is passive avoidance learning?
Slower at picking the task up
Individuals with psychopathic traits - deficient capability to learn to avoid stimuli predicting punishment
What did Finger 2011 find out about those with psychopathic traits?
Decreased responsivity to early stimulus reinforcement exposure
Disruption in the neural systems responsible for faulty decision making
Less likely to learn from mistakes
Learn emotional feedback slower
What is the role of the amygdala and reinforcement?
Shown a spectrum of facial expressions
Fear and sadness usually has negative social reinforcements - less so in psychopaths
Indifferent to punishment
Do not learn to avoid
What are the social and environmental influences of psychopathy?
Little evidence
Inconsistent parenting and antisocial background
This did not have an influence if there were early signs of psychopathy
Those from disadvantaged backgrounds were more violent
What are the genetic influences of psychopathy?
Those with callous-unemotional traits engage in more aggression, lack remorse, lower anxiety compared to those without
What did Vining 2005 find about genetic influence of psychopathy?
3,500 twin pairs - those who have CD vs those who don’t
Environment does not account for the variance in high CU in twins
What did Pasalich et al find out about warm parenting?
Warm parenting may help those with high CU and alter the course
Instead of inconsistent parenting
