ASPD Advice & Information

A few sociopaths giving advice and information, mainly about ASPD. Check #intros to meet the mods. Before you ask, read this. Blog created April 19 2018. Group blog since July 14 2020.

[your-aspd-dad]

Cluster-B Appreciation Week

I made a post about how June 1st is going to be Narcissist Appreciation Day. At the behest of some other lovely cluster-Bs, we’re expanding this into Cluster-B Appreciation Week, spanning from June 1st to 7th! Each day, I’ll be rolling out some relevant posts, so get ready! For now, here’s the lineup:

June 1st - Narcissist Appreciation Day

This day is dedicated to supporting those with NPD and combatting stigma against them!

June 2nd - Antisocial Appreciation Day

This day is dedicated to supporting those with ASPD and combatting stigma against them!

June 3rd - Borderline Appreciation Day

This day is dedicated to supporting those with BPD and combatting stigma against them!

June 4th - Histrionic Appreciation Day

This day is dedicated to supporting those with HPD and combatting stigma against them!

June 5th - Cluster-B Comorbidity Day

Cluster-Bs have high rates of comorbidity, so this day is dedicated to discussing and destigmatising all the other disorders we experience!

June 6th - Cluster-B Support Day

This day is all about showing support and sharing resources for cluster-Bs, helping us to find acceptance and recovery in our community!

June 7th - Cluster-B Creators Day

Last but not least, this day is about the art cluster-Bs make and the art we appear in. Cluster-B creators will be promoted and cluster-B representation shared, canonical or otherwise.

Any and every blog is invited to participate in as many or as few days as they’d like to, whether that means making your own posts, reblogging others, participating in discussions, etc. Relevant tags are: #Cluster B appreciation week/#CBAW, #Narcissist appreciation day, #Antisocial appreciation day, #Borderline appreciation day, #Histrionic appreciation day, #Cluster B comorbidity day, #Cluster B support day, and #Cluster B creators day .

[your-aspd-dad]

I would love it if Cluster B Appreciation Week were to become an annual thing, should Cluster B Tumblr will it! This is, and always has been, an event for the community, and one I’d personally like the community to be able to claim for itself in full, so that @your-aspd-dad is less in the centre of it and more the messenger regarding its existence. A community event like this can only exist should the community will it, and I’d be more than willing to hear out any concerns from the community regarding this whether in the notes or more personally in DMs on my main (@psychemoss). I’m looking forward to the community’s thoughts and/or participation in this event!

- Mod Moss

[your-aspd-dad]

Why do you have a minor as a mod when you can't be diagnosed until 18..? Seems kind of hypocritical.

To our followers—my deepest apologies that we’ve been on hiatus lately. Our mods have been a bit busy/preoccupied lately. Hopefully we’ll be free to answer some asks soon.

As for this ask, this seems like a good time to remind everyone that I (the mod that is a minor) HAVE been diagnosed by a professional with ASPD, NPD, and SzPD, as well as am being considered for a diagnosis of other pds still. This is because of how severely my symptoms impact my functioning, my relationships, and how I interact with my environment, how strongly my symptoms present, the length at which my symptoms have presented, as well as some physical aspects like my lack of symptom relief even with medications. All of that is not to mention the fact that I am an older teen, soon to be 18. It is in instances similar to the above where a professional might consider it within their interest to give someone an ASPD diagnosis early. Thank you.

- Mod Moss

[your-aspd-dad]

how different would aspd with npd traits look compared to aspd with comorbid full npd?

This depends a lot on what traits each person has! 

From my interactions with others with ASPD and NPD traits, the most common overlapping symptoms are the lack of affective empathy, willingness toward morally gray things (i.e. conning or manipulation), and grandiosity. 

ASPD with NPD traits might commonly look like grandiose delusions, with grandiosity more focused around one’s view of self rather than the perception of others in relation to self. Having said that, with comorbid full NPD, I know in my own experience I care a lot more about what others perceive me as than antisocials without the disorder tend to. In other words, with full comorbid NPD it’s more likely for an antisocial to have a focus on the social aspect of narcissism, while with traits alone it tends to circle around the egocentrism aspect of narcissism. 

Granted, all of this is based on my own experience and the people I’ve known with the disorders, and my experience certainly has room for growth! This also doesn’t necessarily encompass every case---even if the majority function in a way like this, it’s still possible for other experiences to be in play and those experiences are just as valid. If any antisocials with traits or full NPD have any separate experiences, I’d be more than happy to hear it!

- Mod Moss

[your-aspd-dad]

Before I start talking I want to make it clear this is the first I’m hearing about this and what I am saying here is going off of what I’m hearing in this specific message—nothing more and nothing less.

I think, personally, that for Cluster B to be refined into a single disorder, it would have to take a LOT of in depth and careful, unbiased thought with suggestions from people with Cluster B disorders themselves. I would NOT trust psychologists to not muddy up criteria and start to paint every Cluster B disorder as the same.

As someone with pretty strong traits of everything in Cluster B, while I know that while there’s a lot of overlap, there’s also a lot of symptoms that change depending on what comorbidities you do or don’t have, and I often have things like conflicting thought processes between different pds, even with the overlap! I also know my experience as someone matching those criteria is often different in many ways from the experiences of people with just ASPD, or just NPD, and I feel having them separate allows me to be able to explain that in a more clear and concise way. If you ask me, specifiers of “with [blank] emphasis” sound pretty ridiculous and honestly would just do better as separate diagnoses as there currently is.

I mean, at what point is “with antisocial emphasis” different from just saying “they have ASPD/ASPD traits”? And it seems like it’d prevent things like getting the full message across of the severity of each of their symptoms. Overall, it sounds more counterintuitive than not. In my mind, it’s easier for me to say “I have dx’d NPD and ASPD, with strong traits of possible BPD and HPD that we’re looking into” than it is for me to say “I have Cluster B Personality Disorder, with narcissistic and antisocial emphasis, but I also have histrionic or borderline emphasis but with a LITTLE LESS EMPHASIS”. Like, at that point, I’m just emphasizing the entire thing, and I can’t really make it clear in a quick and fast way which ones my doctor’s pretty positive on and which ones are more in a gray zone.

In addition, Cluster B disorders are grouped together in a category because of overlap, yes, but this doesn’t mean that they’re all able to be adequately represented under one umbrella dx! They remain separate right now for a reason, and it’s because there are some things that are seen in, say, ASPD that doesn’t come with, say, BPD, or vise versa! Saying ASPD and NPD are the same is like saying autism and ADHD are the same—sure there’s big commonalities between them and they’re comorbid often, but each still has its own particular symptoms that make it unique. The DSM-5 currently is pretty clear that if you fit criteria of more than one pd you’re very easily just able to be diagnosed with both, I don’t see why a dx LIKE Cluster B Personality Disorder would be necessary in the first place.

Tl;dr: I’m not particularly fond of the idea, it sounds kind of unnecessary, and it sounds like a fast, good way of confusing research and spreading more misinformation on these disorders all at once and in a package deal.

- Mod Moss

[your-aspd-dad]

what’s considered a “normal” range of emotions? i couldn’t find any consistent answers when i tried to look it up.

Wrong people to ask, friend.

-Mod Jane

Rumours I’ve heard say people are supposed to experience any and every emotion, and are supposed to have emotional inertia (emotional states lasting for a prolonged period even after the trigger is resolved/gone), but like Jane said, we really aren’t the right people to ask about that. Good luck in your quest for answers!

- Mod Moss

[your-aspd-dad]

Do you guys feel chronic boredom ? If so, how you deal with this ?

Hey

If you search "boredom" on the blog, you'll find dozens of answers.

-Mod Jane

[your-aspd-dad]

is it a thing for older ppl with aspd (late 20s-30s onward) to get almost bored of lying and want to stop it? like it's just too much energy expended to keep up the same sort of lies they would have when they were younger, so they stop because of that?

Hey

Yes, this is actually often the case, though "older" is usually viewed as late 40s and onwards. What I mean is, we often wear ourselves out, but the timeline is different for everyone.

-Mod Jane

[your-aspd-dad]

hey, uh, sorry to bother but like, i know love is show by acts of service and all but im curious about how some of you, people with aspd who run the blog, love the people around you. i really like ur blog and im curious about that, i know that people with aspd can form solid relationships with the people around them but im curious about how they deal with their losses as well. thanks for you time.

Hey

This isn't a bother, no worries! I mean, everyone displays affection differently, and that doesn't necessarily change when you have ASPD, but I would say acts of service is high up there. Words have, I would say, less meaning since it's not something we're afraid to wield, given the opportunity. Physical affection could be a way of expressing love. It's something I've grown to appreciate, at least. I think quality time is probably one we can all relate with. If I give you my attention, consideration and effort, that's definitely love, in my book. As for losing people, that's a tough conversation. It's not something we really register, and I think when it is noticed (the missing person) it's more so the role they filled in our lives and less them, as their own being. It's difficult for us to a) miss people at all and b) recognize when we actually do; I will say that if we do miss people, it's rare and with several conditions.

Hope this helps!

-Mod Jane

[your-aspd-dad]

I have aspd/Co npd and relate but just wanted to bring this character to attention - Stanley Pines(Grunkle Stan) from Gravity Falls? I personally headcanon him as having ASPD and maybe a little NPD as a comorbid teat.

I haven’t watched Gravity Falls in years but I could definitely see Grunkle Stan as ASPD rep! He’s very human (still displaying emotion and still doing things like loving his family) despite his tendancies toward unlawful acts, he can tend toward pathological lying and other such, and if I’m remembering right he has a family history of similar traits (suggesting a possible genetic predisposition as many antisocials often have). I’d have to rewatch it to give you a more in depth analysis, but I definitely agree that it’s a fun headcanon!

- Mod Moss

[your-aspd-dad]

have any of you watched killing eve and if so what is your opinion on villainelle

Hey

I'm a fan of Killing Eve, and a fan of Villainelle! I think she's a really fun character and a great example of a humanized "psychopath". That being said, it's important to note that the creators had the intention of creating a "psychopath", not someone with ASPD. After this distinction is made, I think it's easier to digest the show.

-Mod Jane

[your-aspd-dad]

To conclude this year’s Cluster B Appreciation Week,

Happy Cluster B Creators Day!

[June 7th, 2021]

Today is a day for those in the Cluster B community who are creators, be it that they make art, writing, or otherwise, as well as to celebrate characters we feel represent us accurately, canonically or not. If you’re Cluster B (or have a Cluster B creator you want to promo!), feel free to reblog or comment on this post to promote your blogs, patreons, or otherwise! In addition, thank you to anyone who took time this week to participate! Love you all!

- Mod Moss

[psychemoss]

Can you explain more about delusions and npd? I don't remember if you've talked about it before

Of course! NPD is actually primarily definable by the delusions commonly associated with the disorder. These are commonly described in general as 'delusions of grandeur'' but there’s a lot more to them than that. 

In general, there are several different variants of delusions, including but not necessarily limited to: Erotomanic, grandiose, bizarre grandiose, jealous/infidelity, persecutory, referential, negation/nihilistic, and somatic. 

Within NPD, as far as I know, the most common types are erotomanic, (bizarre) grandiose, persecutory, and negation/nihilistic can also show up mixing with grandiose. I suspect somatic could also show up based on what I know about the disorder, but I don't see it commonly spoken about.

Specifics about what each type of delusion means under the cut!

Erotomanic - Delusions regarding someone being in love with them. According to most sources, erotomanic delusions are commonly targeted toward a person of great importance or fame. This type of delusion can often involve reading into the world as giving one 'signs', things like thinking certain gestures are a beckoning or things such as that. May have overlap with grandiose ("Everyone in the world is in love with me").

Grandiose - Delusions regarding being special or having extraordinary talents ("I know how to do everything", "If I were to try to do that I would do it perfectly", "If I were in a position of power the world would be fixed"). These are most the delusions most commonly associated with NPD or ASPD.

   Bizarre Grandiose - These are a subtype of grandiose. These often focus around spiritual or religious beliefs ("I am God", "God chose me") but can also focus upon supernatural ability ("I have powers nobody else has"). Again, these are most commonly associated with NPD and ASPD.

Jealous/Infidelity - Delusions regarding the loyalty of those around you/that you may just be being lead along by those in your life, also commonly associated with fear of incoming abandonment, and they must be for little to no reason ("My partner is cheating on me", "My best friend doesn’t actually like me", "I saw my partner with someone, they’re going to leave me"). Commonly seen in disorders like BPD or PPD. 

Persecutory - Delusions regarding people in the world intending on harming you ("I'm being watched", "People are tracking me"). Most commonly associated with psychotic disorders or PPD. Can show up in NPD by mixing with grandiose ("People want to hurt me because I’m special").

Referential/Delusions of Reference - Delusions regarding ordinary, everyday experiences having hidden meanings ("I believe this song has a message specifically for me", "the clouds are telling me something"). Most commonly associated with schizo-spec disorders.

Negation/Nihilistic - Delusions rendering life/the world meaningless ("No matter what I try, I cannot affect the world", "nothing is real"). Delusions suffered in this type typically fall under the realm of Cotard’s delusion (delusions regarding being nonexistent or dead). Can have commonalities with bizarre grandiose ("I'm the only person in the world", "Nobody is real except me"). 

Somatic - Delusions that someone suffers from a disorder or medical issue. Associated with hypochondria. 

Unspecific - Delusions not fitting into any particular category. 

Mixed - Showing delusions of two or more different types. 

Hope this helps!

[psychemoss]

are there any good, not ableist resources you know of about aspd and npd? it’s like impossible to find anything good just googling

Hey there, anon, thanks for the ask! Here are a few articles I could find!

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/hidden-suffering-psychopath - An article speaking of ASPD in a more sympathetic light

https://www.thecut.com/article/what-its-like-to-have-narcissistic-personality-disorder.html - An interview with someone with NPD on their experiences

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317225899_Therapist_Stigma_towards_Narcissistic_Personality_Disorder_Lessons_Learnt_from_Borderline_Personality_Disorder - A paper on stigma against narcissists

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/can_a_psychopath_learn_feel_pain - A bit of brain studies of sociopaths versus that of murderers, as well as information on cognitive versus affective empathy

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4495310/ - A research paper on stigma against personality disorders in the medical field

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/making-evil/201902/what-we-get-wrong-about-psychopaths - A paper about stigma against psychopaths (though, in this article they do express that psychopathy and ASPD are not the same, even though their symptoms are practically 1:1 and the terms are often used interchangeably)

https://www.parental-alienation.education/2020/04/13/the-stigma-tied-to-aspd/ - A paper about stigma against people with ASPD

https://psychcentral.com/blog/surprising-myths-facts-about-antisocial-personality-disorder/ - An article about some of the myths around ASPD (they call it ASP for some reason here, but the information is mostly good)

If anyone else has any resources, feel free to add on!

Surprising Myths & Facts About Antisocial Personality Disorder

Antisocial personality disorder is thought of as an uncommon and untreatable disorder, if it's thought of at all. Not many researchers study

The Stigma Tied to ASPD - Parental Alienation Education

Antisocial personality (ASPD) is one of the cluster B personality disorders, which typically involve emotional, impulsive, or dramatic thoug

What We Get Wrong About Psychopaths

We have gone to great lengths to both mystify and monsterize psychopaths.

Psychiatric Stigma in Treatment-Seeking Adults with Personality Problems: Evidence from a Sample of 214 Patients

Stigmatization is a major burden in adult psychiatric patients with Axis-I diagnoses, as shown consistently in most studies. Significantly f

Can a Psychopath Learn to Feel Your Pain?

Neuroscientist James Fallon discusses the psychopathic brain, prospects for detection and treatment, and his own struggles to feel empathy a

(PDF) Therapist Stigma towards Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Lessons Learnt from Borderline Personality Disorder

PDF | The aim of this paper is to (a) provide a framework to understand and formulate the context of therapist stigma towards narcissistic p

What It’s Like to Be a Diagnosed Narcissist

The term ‘narcissist’ gets thrown around easily, but what does it really mean?

The Hidden Suffering of the Psychopath

The psychopath has the image of a cold, heartless, inhuman being. But do all psychopaths show a complete lack of normal emotional capacities

[your-aspd-dad]

I forgot to prepare and now the day is almost completely over everywhere, but

Happy Cluster B Support Day!

[June 6th, 2021]

Today’s supposed to be about sharing resources for Cluster Bs, whether it’s tips for coping or actually good studies, but I didn’t do that in time... I’ll see if I can find some old posts I’ve made about it to reblog. I’m so sorry! If anyone wants to share resources for Cluster Bs in the reblogs, feel free!

- Mod Moss

[your-aspd-dad]

Happy Cluster B Comorbidity Day!

[June 5th, 2021]

Cluster B disorders rarely occur alone. Having any personality disorder can make you high risk for developing a second, particularly within the same cluster. Today is for Cluster B people with multiple pds, Cluster Bs who are also psychotic, Cluster Bs who have systems, Cluster Bs who have just a few other disorders and Cluster Bs who have many others. Each and every one of you are valid and important.

- Mod Moss

[your-aspd-dad]

Happy Histrionic Appreciation Day!

[June 4th, 2021]

HPD tends to be forgotten or written off during discussions about Cluster B. Today is a day for the people with HPD, and to acknowledge the validity of their diagnosis.

Dear Tumblr histrionics, it’s okay to live your life for you.

It’s alright to respect yourself and your bodily autonomy.

You don’t have to put yourself out there to deserve to be happy, and it doesn’t make you manipulative to seek out attention!

Each one of you is so brilliant and fantastic in your own right.

I hope you have a beautiful day!

- Mod Moss

[your-aspd-dad]

Happy Borderline Appreciation Day!

[June 3rd, 2021]

BPD’s taken to receiving mixed feelings from the mental health community. Today is a day for those with BPD, to see both how far acceptance has come and to bring hope for more in future.

Dear Tumblr borderlines, your emotions are valid.

You aren’t weak or pathetic. 

Reaching out to others doesn’t make you bad or abusive!

I know it’s hard sometimes, but I also know you’re capable of getting through it!

I hope you all have a lovely rest of your day.

- Mod Moss

[your-aspd-dad]

Happy Antisocial Appreciation Day!

[June 2, 2021]

ASPD is almost always conflated with extreme criminal versatility. Today is a day to recognize and appreciate those with ASPD and acknowledge that there is more to our disorder than just that.

With that said,

Dear Tumblr antisocials, your disorder does not choose your path for you.

You are able to be in charge of your choices.

Remorselessness does not mean you’re inherently bad, lack of conscience doesn’t mean you can’t do great things.

I’ve seen how hard some of you try, and I’m so proud to be a part of this community.

I hope today is a great one for you!

- Mod Moss