Question

Dan is 37 years old. He was arrested yesterday for attempted robbery and cocaine possession. This was not the first time he was arrested. When he was 23, he was arrested for arson. Apparently, he had asked his grandmother for money to buy drugs. When she refused, he set her home on fire (hoping to kill her and collect the insurance money). At trial Dan convinced the judge that his need for cocaine had clouded his judgment, so he was sentenced to time served and ordered to attend a rehab facility (he left after less than a week). Since then, Dan has been arrested over 30 times for theft, burglary, and similar crimes in eight different states. In most of these cases, he has been able to use his “need for cocaine” to get lesser charges and reduced jail time (in more than one instance, he has tested positive for cocaine, alcohol and marijuana when arrested).

There are two outstanding warrants for his arrest in Kentucky. The first is for not paying child support to his first wife. The second is a bigamy charge brought by his second wife (he had told her that his first wife had died tragically in a plane crash). Since high school, Dan has a history of dishonesty and abuse in his personal relationships.

Though intelligent and engaging, he does not have any close, long-term friendships. He has difficulty keeping a job longer than a few months (he is usually fired for stealing from the company or falsifying records). He does, however, have many social acquaintances who will testify that he is just a fun-loving guy who sometimes goes a little too far. These acquaintances are usually neighbors or patrons of bars and restaurants that Dan will frequent.

1. Would you diagnose Dan with a personality disorder? If yes, which one(s)? Please explain.
2. Would you diagnose Dan with a substance abuse disorder? If yes, which one(s)? Please explain.
3. Would you diagnose Dan with an impulse control disorder? If yes, which one(s)? Please explain.

Answer 1

Yes, Dan seems to be suffering from Antisocial Personality Disorder as he shows all the symptoms and signs of antisocial personality disorder as we can understand clearly from the following points that are based upon the diagnostic criteria of Antisocial personality disorder:-

• A pattern of disregard and violation of the rights of other people, occurring from the age of 15 years,
• Failure to conform to societal norms, indulging in punishable offenses
• Deceitfulness nature repeated lying or conning others for personal profit or pleasure.
• Impulsivity in behavior
• Reckless and total disregard for the safety and wellbeing of themselves or other people.
• Consistent irresponsibility depicted in their behavior
• Lack of remorse, indifference to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another.
• .The individual is over the age of 18 years old.

Yes, Dan seems to be having a substance abuse problem but not sure of it being a disorder as he uses it as an excuse and reasoning for his reckless behavior. He is using drugs for sure but not sure if it is a substance abuse disorder

Yes, he has an impulsive behavior for sure but his impulse control disorder might be Kleptomania as he is often found stealing things that might be happening due to his Kelptomanic disorder