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Antisocial teens 'can be cured'

01/10/2008

Antisocial behaviour in male teenagers is a mental illness that could be cured, research has suggested.

UK scientists have claimed antisocial behaviour is biologically-based, with some people more vulnerable to it, just as certain individuals are more likely to suffer from depression or anxiety.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge identified a lack of stress hormone cortisol in antisocial male adolescents.

Levels of cortisol in the body usually increase when people undergo a stressful experience, such as public speaking, sitting an exam, or having surgery. It enhances memory formation and is thought to make people behave more cautiously and to help them regulate their emotions, particularly their temper and violent impulses.

People prone to antisocial behaviour do not experience the same increase in cortisol levels when in a stressful situation.

In the Wellcome Trust-funded research, male teenagers from schools, pupil referral units and the youth offending service participated.

Samples of saliva were collected over several days from the subjects in a non-stressful environment to measure levels of the hormone under resting conditions.
The young men then took part in a stressful experiment that was designed to induce frustration. Samples of saliva were taken immediately before, during and after the experiment to track how cortisol changed during stress.

The differences between participants with severe antisocial behaviour and those without were most marked under stressful conditions. While the average adolescents showed large increases in the amount of cortisol during the frustrating situation, cortisol levels actually went down in those with severe antisocial behaviour.

Study co-author Dr Graeme Fairchild commented: "If we can figure out precisely what underlies the inability to show a normal stress response, we may be able to design new treatments for severe behaviour problems. We may also be able create targeted interventions for those at higher risk.

"A possible treatment for this disorder offers the chance to improve the lives of both the adolescents who are afflicted and the communities in which they live."