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Drugs to treat Sociopathy and Criminal Behaviour

Biphasic

Biphasic

Bluelighter
Joined
Feb 9, 2008
Messages
29
I guess this might be considered a "rehabilitation drugs of the future" thread.

This is a pretty controversial topic/idea that's been gaining some momentum in the past decade, especially in the United States. That is, the treatment of sociopathic disorders with medications, in order to facilitate more cooperative social behaviour and allow prisoners earlier release back into society (thus improving the economy when they get jobs and also saving hundreds of millions in taxpayer money every year). There's been a bunch of research into the use of sexual-diminishing drugs on sexual offenders, and France was doing a pilot study in 2004, and as we all know there's mountains of research going into drug rehabilition in order to keep drug offenders out of prisons. First there was methadone, now Suboxone/Subutex for opiate abusers, and dextroamphetamine and other drug trials for stimulant abusers.

I'm interested in everyone's thoughts here, as well as any other current or past relevant research, as I'm curious about this field but don't know too much about it.
 
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I'm a big propent of oral dextroamphetamine XR for cocaine addicts/abusers. Clinical trials of Dexedrine XR in cocaine addiction have shown a greater decrease in overall coke use than trials of DA reuptake inhibitors (even the famed GBR12909 and methylphenidate). Other monoamine releasers, like Rothman's naphthyl-isopropylamine (NiPA; PAL-287) are also promising. Also, a low dose of a long-acting benzodiazepine combined with disulfiram (in one pill) might be a useful maintenance therapy for chronic alcoholics that cannot stay sober--that way, to get the desired anxiolytic effect of the benzo, the alcoholic would have to take the disulfiram as well (and thus not be able to drink).

As for drugs to actually "treat" sociopathy, I doubt there will be anything significant soon. Current protocol (which is highly supported by the pharmaceutical lobby) is to just put those types of criminals on an atypical antipsychotic, which may not be that much more effective than a placebo (but sure costs a lot, since the atypicals are still covered under patents).
 
Psychedelics can, apparently quite effectively, help people to kick addictions which are harmful to them and often others too. I guess it works by allowing them to see the big picture, so to speak, to see their actions from another perspective in the context of the rest of society, the universe even! I think similar treatment would probably be fairly effective with people who would like to harm others without good reason.

Saying that, most people who do end up harming others probably do have a good reason for doing so. Weather it's poverty or whatever, the cause is most likely some problem with society. I don't think anyone is inherently bad. Fixing someones negative behaviour then dumping them back into the same social situations is going to be a waste of time.

Things people do that are deemed wrong should be used to show aspects of our society/culture that need fixing. Unfortunately, for anything to change people with the power to change things should do so for the benefit of people who don't have that power, rather than for their own interests.

Since, i think, that is the root of most problems like this i propose that politicians should be initiated by a psychedelic trip of immense proportions! It obviously won't be fool proof but i think might be quite effective at giving some of them the desire to work for the benefit of everyone.

Maybe, that's just the conclusion i came to while writing, should think about it more.

[/Rant]
 
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According to the DSM-IV, antisocial personality disorder is by definition a personality disorder and, as such, cannot be treated successfully with any drug.
 
Psychedelics can do this sort of thing. However, there are so many variables I'm not sure how effective a treatment it could be.
 
<pyridinyl_30> said:
According to the DSM-IV, antisocial personality disorder is by definition a personality disorder and, as such, cannot be treated successfully with any drug.
Click to expand...

ANY drug? Did you see my previous post? =D (sorry I'm a bit drunk for the first time in years and the misanthropy is leaking out all over the place ;) )
 
<pyridinyl_30> said:
According to the DSM-IV, antisocial personality disorder is by definition a personality disorder and, as such, cannot be treated successfully with any drug.
Click to expand...

What can it be treated with? Anything? If not, why?

Treating a disorder of the personality obviously means changing the personality, is this supposedly not possible? Are they suggesting that personality is fixed from birth, or that the disorder is caused by a physical problem in the brain?
 
Essential Film viewing on this topic:
[not just for the thought-provoking plot but the gun fu is classic =D ]

Equilibrium.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rCA5Ed1390
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equilibrium_(film)

"Prozium - The great opiate of the masses." [yes a psuedo-stolen phrase but note NOT prozac & NOT librium, a drug name combination unique to the film]

Worth watching for anyone who hasn't.

Then of course there is "A clockwork orange" goes without saying I guess in this context.
 
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