Current issues in the assessment and diagnosis of psychopathy (psychopathic personality disorder)

Few mental disorders are the source of as much fascination on one hand and confusion on the other hand as psychopathy, also known as psychopathic, antisocial or dissocial personality disorder. This review focuses first on conceptual issues, clarifying the nature of psychopathic personality disorder. It then focuses on operational issues, reviewing some of the most commonly used procedures for measuring features of the disorder in adult clinical-forensic settings. It concludes by discussing a 'hot topic' in the field: the nature of the association between antisocial behavior and psychopathic personality disorder.