First of all, to know how to spot a sociopath, we need to understand what characterizes a person with this disorder. According to psychiatrists, it is a syndrome described by aggressive and hostile behavior throughout life. That is, individuals diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder tend to be unconsciously manipulative and impulsive, as explained by Donald Black, an American psychiatrist.
Read more: See Which Foods You Shouldn't Consume To Maintain Your Mental Health
see more
Decreasing children's screen time: promote a lifestyle…
Toxicity Alert! Dyed clothes can make you sick for THIS
Furthermore, such a disturbance may be relatively mild. In this sense, people have few traits of the disorder, such as mythomania and social problems. However, at the other end of the spectrum are sadists and murderers, with most individuals falling in the middle of this spectrum.
Therefore, to be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, a person must be at least 18 years old and have a history of aggression and bad behavior. With this, check out what should be observed, based on the criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, used in the USA.
1 – Lack of empathy
One of the most common signs of antisocial personality disorder is the lack of empathy with others, that is, the inability to feel guilt for one's actions. In addition, many individuals diagnosed with this disorder are unaware that their actions are malicious.
2 - Manipulation
People described as sociopaths tend to try to seduce and dominate those around them for their own gain or even for pure entertainment. However, this does not mean that everyone is extroverted and communicative. In many cases, they can be quite quiet and introverted.
3 - Falsehood
Other common signs of antisocial personality disorder are dishonesty and deceit. Individuals with this disorder often lie to try to get what they want or to get out of trouble and not be punished.
4 – Hostility
In addition to being misbehaving and unstable, sociopaths can also interpret misbehaving others, and whet a "thirst" for revenge if they understand what they want to do bad for them.
5 – Impulsivity
We can all have moments of urges. However, for someone diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, making impulsive and inconsequential decisions is part of the routine, according to the psychiatrist.
Therapy can help control some symptoms and side effects, especially in milder cases. However, it is quite rare for a sociopath to seek professional help, as one of the hallmarks of the disorder is a general lack of awareness. Therefore, the individual may recognize that they have problems but tend to blame others or circumstances.
However, the psychiatrist reports that “the symptoms of antisocial personality disorder seem to improve one little with age, especially among milder sociopaths and those who do not use drugs or drink heavily. excess. But if you know someone with the disorder, the best thing to do is stay away,” advises the doctor.