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Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2023A paucity of cognitive and affective features of empathy can be correlated with violent behavior. We aimed to identify differences in empathy among four groups in a...
A paucity of cognitive and affective features of empathy can be correlated with violent behavior. We aimed to identify differences in empathy among four groups in a sample of 100 male participants: (1) 27 violent offenders with schizophrenia, (2) 23 nonviolent patients with schizophrenia, (3) 25 patients with antisocial personality disorder, and (4) 25 subjects from the general population, who formed the control group. Schizophrenia symptoms were quantified with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Empathy was measured with the empathy quotient. Theory of mind was evaluated using (a) the first-order false-belief task, (b) the hinting task, (c) the faux pas recognition test and (d) the "reading the mind in the eyes" test (revised). Differences noted among the groups were age (controls were younger) and educational status (antisocials were less educated). The empathy quotient scoring ( < 0.001) and theory-of-mind tests ( < 0.001) were distinct between the control group and the three other groups of participants, but not among the three patient groups. Patients with antisocial personality disorder, violent psychotic offenders and psychotic nonviolent patients show no remarkable differences in affective or cognitive empathy tests, but they all present deficits in empathy and theory of mind when compared to controls.
PubMed: 38200995
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12010089 -
The International Journal of Social... Sep 2023Homeless people present high rates of psychopathology, including personality disorders. Given the link between personality disorders and attachment, and the potential... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Homeless people present high rates of psychopathology, including personality disorders. Given the link between personality disorders and attachment, and the potential importance of these two traits for understanding homeless populations.
AIMS
Our aim was to review all studies focusing on attachment and on the full assessment of personality disorders in the homeless.
METHOD
Overall, 213 studies were screened through title and abstract. Of these, 63 articles were chosen for full-text assessment.
RESULTS
A total of 14 articles met eligibility criteria and were included in the present review. Six studies evaluated personality disorders and eight studies assessed attachment in the homeless. In general, reports suggested that personality disorders are highly common in the homeless, with frequencies ranging between 64% and 79% for any personality disorder. The most common personality diagnoses were paranoid (14%-74%), borderline (6%-62%), avoidant (14%-63%), and antisocial (4%-57%) personality disorders. Attachment reports differed in the methods used and presented diverse results and correlates. Even so, insecure types of attachment dominated in the homeless, accounting for 62% to 100% of the samples.
CONCLUSIONS
The high prevalence of personality disorders and insecure types of attachment in the homeless may impact intervention strategies for these people. The available literature evaluating attachment and the full assessment of personality disorders in the homeless is scarce, which supports the need for more research on these two topics.
Topics: Humans; Personality Disorders; Psychopathology; Ill-Housed Persons; Prevalence; Personality; Borderline Personality Disorder
PubMed: 36951386
DOI: 10.1177/00207640231161201 -
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica Dec 2023Psychotic-like experiences (PLE) have been associated with the subsequent emergence of psychotic disorders as well as several other domains of psychopathology. In this...
INTRODUCTION
Psychotic-like experiences (PLE) have been associated with the subsequent emergence of psychotic disorders as well as several other domains of psychopathology. In this twin study, we estimated the genetic and environmental correlations between PLE and 10 personality disorders (PD).
METHODS
Diagnoses of 10 PDs according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and PLE from the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) were retrieved for 2793 young adult twins from the Norwegian Twin Registry. Risk for having a PD and PLEs was modeled using item response theory. Biometric twin models were fitted to estimate the genetic and environmental correlations between PDs and PLEs. Co-twin control analysis was performed to estimate additional within-family risk for PLEs when having a PD.
RESULTS
Phenotypic overlap between PDs and PLEs ranged from 14% to 44% in males and from 11% to 39% in females, with the highest overlap for borderline PD in both sexes. In general, we found higher genetic correlations (r = 0.14-0.72) than environmental correlations (r = 0.06-0.28) between PDs and PLEs. The highest genetic correlations between PLE and PDs were found for borderline (r = 0.72), paranoid (r = 0.56), schizotypal (r = 0.56) and antisocial PD (r = 0.49).
CONCLUSION
We found that the co-occurrence between PDs and PLE is the best explained by shared genetic determinants, with minor contributions from environmental factors. Interestingly, borderline PD was highly genetically correlated with PLE, warranting molecular genetic studies of this association.
Topics: Male; Female; Humans; Young Adult; Risk Factors; Personality Disorders; Twins; Borderline Personality Disorder; Psychotic Disorders; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
PubMed: 37497694
DOI: 10.1111/acps.13596 -
Current Psychiatry Reports Nov 2023Despite significant negative outcomes, the co-occurrence of personality disorders (PDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) continues to be underrecognized, and the... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Despite significant negative outcomes, the co-occurrence of personality disorders (PDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) continues to be underrecognized, and the mechanisms contributing to this co-occurrence remain unclear. This review summarizes recent work on PD-SUD co-occurrence, with a focus on borderline and antisocial PDs, general substance use patterns among those with PDs, and the association of personality traits with SUDs.
RECENT FINDINGS
The prevalence of co-occurring PD-SUD is generally high, with estimates ranging depending on the type of PD and SUD, the population assessed, and the sampling methods and measures used. Current theoretical explanations for co-occurrence include shared etiology and predisposition models, with research highlighting the importance of transactional processes. Potential underlying mechanisms include personality traits and transdiagnostic characteristics. Recent research has increased focus on substances besides alcohol, dimensional models of personality pathology, and transactional explanations of co-occurrence, but more research is needed to disentangle the nuanced PD-SUD relationship.
Topics: Humans; Comorbidity; Personality Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Personality; Prevalence
PubMed: 37787897
DOI: 10.1007/s11920-023-01452-6 -
Psychological Medicine Oct 2023Successful leaders are at risk of developing exaggerated pride, contempt for others, and a diminished sense of reality. The ancient Greeks feared this syndrome and...
Successful leaders are at risk of developing exaggerated pride, contempt for others, and a diminished sense of reality. The ancient Greeks feared this syndrome and called it hubris. Although certain contemporaneous leaders show signs of hubris and pose a great danger, the hubris syndrome does not yet figure in our classification systems. The purpose of this paper is to examine several aspects of its validity, including clinical description, laboratory study, and exclusion of other disorders. Firstly, a substantial body of evidence indicates that the hubris syndrome may develop after a person has held substantial power for a considerable amount of time. Thus, the syndrome differs from a personality disorder with its characteristic onset in late adolescence or early adulthood. It is proposed, therefore, that the syndrome is a non-organic personality change after gaining substantial power or achieving overwhelming success, characterized by the emergence or marked increase of pathological personality traits within the domains of dissociality and disinhibition. Within the domain of dissociality, grandiosity is an obligatory trait. Secondly, with reference to laboratory study, recent evidence suggests that machine learning algorithms have the ability to differentiate hubristic from non-hubristic speech patterns. Thirdly, the exclusion of other disorders is difficult, because individuals with the hubris syndrome do not collaborate in any investigation. Some suggestions are made to overcome this problem. In conclusion, there is sufficient reason to further examine the validity of the hubris syndrome and to consider it for inclusion in our classification systems.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Adult; Algorithms; Delusions; Emotions; Fear; Machine Learning; Syndrome
PubMed: 37679027
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291723002672 -
International Journal of Environmental... Sep 2023Conduct a systematic review concerning the literature that reflects whether the callous and unemotional traits present in childhood and/or adolescence are precursors in... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Conduct a systematic review concerning the literature that reflects whether the callous and unemotional traits present in childhood and/or adolescence are precursors in the development of female psychopathy in adulthood.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A systematic review involved consulting three databases-EBSCO, the Web of Science, and PubMed-for peer-reviewed and quantitative studies within the period 2000-2023. Nine articles with quality of three and above were included.
RESULTS
The presence of callous and unemotional traits designates a group of youth that show characteristics associated with psychopathy, specifically when predicting a more severe and chronic pattern of antisocial behaviour. Children with high rates of callous and unemotional traits, who show symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in combination with severe conduct problems, are most likely to show features associated with psychopathy. The multidimensional psychopathy construct is considered a better predictor of future and stable antisocial behaviour than the callous and unemotional traits alone model.
CONCLUSIONS
According to the studies selected, the callous and unemotional traits in childhood seem to be precursors of female psychopathy in adulthood, but only because of the way they seem to enhance conduct problems, disruptive behaviour disorders, and, as a possible outcome, delinquency and antisocial traits, which may be precursors of future psychopathy.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Female; Humans; Antisocial Personality Disorder; Databases, Factual; Phenotype; Problem Behavior; PubMed
PubMed: 37754645
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20186786 -
Journal of Neural Transmission (Vienna,... Oct 2023This review aims to estimate the prevalence of seizures and epilepsy among homeless people in current literature as well as understand the main adversities that this... (Review)
Review
This review aims to estimate the prevalence of seizures and epilepsy among homeless people in current literature as well as understand the main adversities that this group withstands. We conducted a search for "epilep*", "seizur*", and "homeles*" in titles and abstracts of articles in PubMed. Overall, 25 articles met the final inclusion criteria and warranted analyses. This study suggests that the prevalence of epilepsy in the homeless population is between 2 and 30%, whereas the prevalence of homelessness in people with epilepsy is between 2 and 4%. Every study included in this review corroborates the increased prevalence of seizures and epilepsy among the homeless, which puts them at risk for worse outcomes related to this condition and numerous associated comorbidities. Further evidence is needed to clarify the distinction of primary and secondary seizures in this group, which shows a high rate of confounding factors for seizures like substance abuse or withdrawal and head injury, and to decrease the burden of epilepsy and homelessness in an already resource-deficient community.
Topics: Humans; Epilepsy; Seizures; Ill-Housed Persons; Antisocial Personality Disorder; Craniocerebral Trauma
PubMed: 37606855
DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02685-8