Harvard law Review sounds the alarm on the "Anti-Social Personality Disorder" diagnosis

​Val's Take

• In 2013, the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) voiced serious concerns regarding the scientific validity of the DSM 5. 
• In fact, NIMH found that the DSM 5 lacked validity because it relied on symptom clusters rather than the underlying biology.
• ​As each year goes by, the case against the DSM 5 becomes stronger and stronger.
• In 2025, more and more researchers are conceptualizing Anti-Social Personality Disorder as a Neuro-Developmental Disorder.

Personality Disorders, Developmental Differences Conceptualization Matters​--- It Matters A Lot In The Criminal Justice System

Burden of Proof

DSM 5 --- Criminal Justice Wheel of Fortune

Personality Disorders --- Unscientific & Vague --- Must Be Reformed

Hair Analysis, Psychological Analysis, the Criminal Law & the Ethical & Moral Imperative to Pull Back

​Bias Baked In: How Antisocial Personality Disorder Diagnoses Trigger Legal Failure (February 2025)

​"This Note cannot change the DSM, but it can sound an alarm. The ASPD diagnosis lacks clinical utility; it operates as a barrier to treatment and engenders prejudice.   Reform is necessary — perhaps discarding this label entirely.

"Mental health professionals must also realize that a
disclaimer in the DSM does not go far enough to protect against the way the legal system interprets and applies clinical knowledge.

"Clinical and legal professionals must learn from the past and work against perpetuating biases and harmful self-fulfilling prophecies."