Theor Med Bioeth. 2014 Jan 1. [Epub ahead of print]
Intervening in the psychopath's brain.
Author information
- Department of Philosophy, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada, wglannon@ucalgary.ca.
Abstract
Psychopathy is a disorder involving personality and behavioral features associated with a high rate of violent aggression and recidivism. This paper explores potential psychopharmacological therapies to modulate dysfunctional neural pathways in psychopaths and reduce the incidence of their harmful behavior, as well as the ethical and legal implications of offering these therapies as an alternative to incarceration. It also considers whether forced psychopharmacological intervention in adults and children with psychopathic traits manifesting in violent behavior can be justified. More generally, the paper addresses the question of how to weigh the psychopath's presumptive right to non-interference in his brain and mind against the public interest in avoiding harm.
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