Combinatorial Psycho-Pharmacological Approaches for the Treatment of Abnormal Aggression

Aggression is a highly evolutionarily adaptive behavior that is critical for survival and reproduction, and therefore, strongly ethologically conserved across species. However, due to environmental or biological processes, aggressive behavior can transition from adaptive to maladaptive. This transition is associated with detrimental outcomes for both the individual exhibiting the behavior and their victims. Within the United States, an estimated 2.7 million individuals over the age of 12 report experiencing one or more violent victimizations annually (Truman and Morgan, 2016), and ~70% of victims of serious violence experience ongoing socio-emotional problems as a direct result (Langton and Truman, 2014). Because of the marked impact violence has on societal health and well-being, there have been efforts to identify the underlying risk factors associated with the development of abnormal aggression. Longitudinal prospective population-based studies have consistently associated future violence and crime with early-life adversities such as abuse or neglect. Strikingly, early-life neglect is one of the most damaging predisposing factors, even more so than inter-personal violence and physical or sexual abuse (Gilbert et al, 2009)