New Therapy Reduces Reoffending in Male Offers With Antisocial Personality Disorder

The New Psychological Therapy Designed by a Team of Ucl-Led Researchers has Been Found to Reduce Rates of Violence and Aggression Male Offers With Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD).

The Study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry INVESTED WHETHER AGGRESSION AND ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIORS COULD BE IMPROVED BY A MODIFIED Form of Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT).

Mentalization-Based Treatment is a Type of Therapy That Helps People to Understand Their Own Thoughts and Feelings, as wells As thhose of Others.

The New Treatment, Known as MBT-Aspd, Aims to Enhance the Ability of Male Offers With Aspd To Recognize And Reflect On Both Own and Others’ Thoughts and Feelings, Helping to Improvensonal Interactions and Decision-Making.

Antisocial Personality Disorder is a Mental Health Condition Characterized by a Persistent Pattern of Disregarding or Violating the Rights of Others. SYMPTOMS Include Deceitfulness, Impulsion, Aggression, Recklessness and a Lack of Remorse. It Frequently Involves Criminality.

For the Largest Study of its Kind, 157 Male Offers on Probation with Aspd in England and Wales Received A 12-MONTH COURSE OF MBT-ASPD Standard Probation Services. The control group of 156 participants Received Probation Services Without MBT-Aspd.

The Treatment Involved Weekly 75-Minute Group Therapy Sessions Led by Two Trained MBT Clinicians, Often Supported by an Expert by Expert.

The Group Enabled Participants to Explore Social Interactions Including Their Personal Values, Note How Others Thought About Issues That Conterned Them, How Their Actions Were Seen by Others and Howselves Corresponded to others’ Perceptions of Them.

Participants Also Received Monthly 50-Minute Individual Therapy Sessions. These Sessions Focused on Development Mentalizing Skills (Such AS Self-Awareness, Paraath for Others, Perspective Taking and Reflective Thinking), Particularly in situations of interpersonal conflict.

The results Revealed that men who Received Mbt-Aspd Had Aggression Levels Approximately 50% Lower Than Those in the Standard Probation Services.

WHILE BOTH GROUPS SHOWED A DECREASE IN ASPD SYMPTOMS, THE MBT-ASPD GROUP Showed A SIGNENTLY GREATER DECREE OF 63% IN THE NUMBER OF SYMPTOMS AT 12 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP.

Addihthanly, Men in the MBT-Aspd Group Committed 46% Fewer Offenses Than Those in the Standard Probation Group Over a Three-Year Follow-Up Period.

Chief Investigator Professor Peter Fonagy (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) Said, “Given the Personal and Societal Costals of Antisocial Personality Disorder-Inncluding Higher Risk-Taking, Poer Health Outcomes, Reduced Employment, and an Estimated £ 16.7 Billion Annual Economic Burden in the UK – This Study representing Major Breakthrough.

“Antisocial Personality Disorder Has Historically Been Difficult to Treat, But Findings Demonstrate That Aychological Intervention Requiring Requiring Limited Therapist Training Fattingfully Improve Outcomes for Individuals With Hile Condition While Reducing Their Impact On Society.”

Propitious Previous Mixed Results from other Psychological Treatments Such As Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), MBT-Aspd Offers a Promising New Approach for Male Offers. The Study Provides Some of the Strongest Evidence to Date That Structured Therapy Can Be Effective in Reducing Agrension and Criminal Behaviors Among Individuals with Aspd.

Co-Author and Lead Clinician Professor Anthony Bateman (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) Said, “This Study Suggersts That Clinicians Can Now Be wors Optimistic About Treating Individuals with Antisocial Traits, Who Are Often Seen As Untreatable and Consequently Face Barriers Accessing Both Physical and Mental Health Care. “

Encouraged by These Findings, The Research Team is Now Calling for Further Studies to Determine Whether Mbt-Aspd Could Be Beneficial for Wider Range of Individuals, Including Those Involved in Serious Violent Behavior, Such As Intimate Partner Violence.

Co-Author Dr. Elizabeth Allison (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) Said, “Traditional Justice Methods, Such As Imprisonment, Have Not Been Effective in Reducing Reoffending In Cases of Domestic Abuse. Individuals Involved in Severe Violence.

“AddiTerally, We Need to Assess How Variations In Treatment Intensity and Duration Influence Outcomes and when the benefits of Therapy Are Sustained Over Time.”

The Study Was Carried Out in Collaboration with Researchers at Anna Freud, Newcastle University, King’s College London, Royal Holloway, The National Probation Service London Division, University of Prince Edward Island, Bangor University, University of Nottingham and Imperial College London.

While the Results are promising, the Study Had Some Limitations. The design made it challenging to isolate the specific effects of mbt-aspd from the additional Attention Participants Received.

DATA COLLATION ISSUES AND MISSING DATE-EXECARDAD BY COVID-19-REFLATED DELAYS-MAY ALSO HAVE IMPACTED THE FINDings.

FURTHERMORE, Since the Study Focused on Male Offenders AGED 21 and Older Under Probation Supervision, The Results May Not Be Directly Generalizable to Other Populations, Such As Younger Offinders or Those Outside The Probation System.