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eLetters: Electronic letters published:
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The Callous Unemotional Traits
- Michael F. Fitzgerald (8 May 2007)
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Re: The Callous Unemotional Traits
- Essi M Viding (29 May 2007)
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Michael F. Fitzgerald, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist Trinity College Dublin
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Fitzi{at}iol.ie Michael F. Fitzgerald
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There was no reference to Autistic Psychopathy (Hans Asperger, 1944) in Viding’s et al. (2007) paper. This was also not referenced or discussed in any of the other papers in Supplement 49 on Assessment, Risk, and Outcome in Severe Personality Disorder. The severe unempathic conduct and aggression problems were well recognised by Hans Asperger (1944) and overlap with what Viding et al. (2007) describe as “more severe, aggressive, and stable pattern of antisocial behaviour and a specific neurocognitive profile indicative of defects in affect processing”. This is precisely what children (and adults) with Autistic Psychopathy and Antisocial Behaviour demonstrate. References: 1. Asperger H. (1944). Die “autistischen Psychopathen” i.m Kindesalter. Archives fur Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten, 117, 76 – 136. 2. Fitzgerald M. (2001). Autistic Psychopathy. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40: 8, 870. 3. Fitzgerald M. (2003). Callous-unemotional traits and Asperger’s syndrome? Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 9, 1011. 4. Viding E., Frick P., Plomin R. (2007). Aetiology of the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems in childhood. British Journal of Psychiatry, 190 (Supplement 49), 33 – 38. |
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Essi M Viding, Lecturer University College London
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e.viding{at}ucl.ac.uk Essi M Viding
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Asperger’s use of the term psychopathy refers to personality disorder/psychopathology rather than to psychopathy as defined based on the current criteria. Recent research carried out with colleagues indicates that although there are individuals who have the neurocognitive profile associated with both autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and psychopathy, most individuals with ASD (even those with antisocial behaviour) do not show neurocognitive deficits characteristic of psychopathy (Rogers et al., 2006). More importantly, a case review of 177 cases originally diagnosed by Asperger, found no raised incidence of criminal offences compared with general population rates (Hippler & Klicpera, 2003). It is clear that there are individuals with Asperger's syndrome/ASD who committ crimes(e.g. Baron-Cohen, 1988; Scragg & Shah, 1994). However Asperger's Psychopathy does not equal psychopathy as defined by current practice. Baron-Cohen, S. (1988). An assessment of violence in a young man with Asperger’s syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 29, 351–360. Hippler, K. & Klicpera, C. (2003). A retrospective analysis of the clinical case records of ‘autistic psychopaths’ diagnosed by Hans Asperger and his team at the University Children’s Hospital, Vienna. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 358, 291–301. Rogers, J. S. C., Viding, E., Blair, R. J. R., Frith, U.,& Happe, F. (2006). Autism spectrum disorder and psychopathy: shared cognitive underpinnings or double hit? Psychological Medicine 36, 1789-1798. Scragg, P. & Shah, A. (1994). Prevalence of Asperger’s syndrome in a secure hospital. British Journal of Psychiatry 165, 679–682. |
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