BOSTON, Mass. (Ivanhoe Newswire) - Is there something just a little bit off about one of your friends, family members, or co-workers? While they may not suffer from a mental disorder, they could be closer than you think.
Psychopaths have a chronic mental disorder that causes abnormal or violent social behavior. The book "Almost a Psychopath" said top jobs for psychopaths include lawyers, journalists, surgeons, and chefs.
Harvard Medical school doctor Ron Schouten said there are also "almost psychopaths."
"Lack of empathy, indifference to right or wrong," Ronald Schouten, M.D., J.D., from Harvard Medical School, Co-Author of Almost a Psychopath told Ivanhoe.
"It's hard to imagine, but think about a person that doesn't care about anybody but themselves," explains James Silver, J.D., Co-Author of Almost a Psychopath.
Criminal defense lawyer James Silver believes about one in seven people fit the description.
"We're confident that there are tens of millions of almost psychopaths in the United States. And these are people that you have to deal with," Silver said.
They wrote the book on almost psychopaths. They say watch out for these signs: superficial charm, arrogance, pathological lying, and lack of remorse.
And be careful in relationships. Almost psychopaths may come on strong.
"So suddenly you find yourself in a relationship going much too fast and you are the giver and they are consistently the taker," says Dr. Schouten.
Also called successful psychopaths, at work they may cozy up to you just to steal your ideas.
"They're not really interested in helping the team. They are only interested in helping themselves. Then in the end they try to take credit for more than they should," Silver explained.
Some may want to raise awareness, because they may be hard to avoid.
"I'd say there's no way to never deal with an almost psychopath. The idea though is to understand that it isn't your fault if you've been fooled," concluded Silver.
If you're worried you might be almost a psychopath yourself — relax. The fact that the idea concerns you at all is a good sign that you're not one. But if you take pride in the idea, you could have a problem. For more information on almost psychopaths, visit www.thealmosteffect.com
RESEARCH SUMMARY
ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER: Psychopaths can be individuals with an extreme case of antisocial personality disorder. If someone has antisocial personality disorder that means that their ways of thinking, how they perceive situations and relate to others is out of the ordinary and sometimes destructive. Often times the words psychopath and sociopath are used interchangeably, although some have tried to distinguish differences between the two terms. A trademark of antisocial personality disorder is that people with the disorder may have no regard for right and wrong, which can lead to destructive behaviors. (Source: www.mayoclinic.com)
SIGNS: Some signs of antisocial personality disorder include:
- Impulsive behavior
- Little or no remorse about harming others
- Manipulation of others, often by using charm or wit
- Aggressive and/or violent behaviors
- Intimidation of others (Source: www.mayoclinic.com)
CAUSE: Not everyone agrees on what makes a person have antisocial personality disorder. Typically, people either believe the personality disorder is innate or is a result of the individual's environment; it could also be a combination of two. Environmental factors that some believe could lead to antisocial personality disorder include things like being abused as a child or not experiencing love from parents or family members during childhood. (Source: www.mayoclinic.com)
WHAT TO DO: If someone around you demonstrates the signs of antisocial personality disorder, they will most likely not view this as a problem that needs to be treated. This means that treatment is typically very difficult, especially because many people with the personality disorder are very deceitful. People with loved ones with antisocial personality disorder may want to seek help for them in order to learn coping skills as well as how to protect themselves from the manipulation and aggression associated with the disorder. (Source: www.mayoclinic.com)
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Janet Appel, Public Relations
JanetAppel54@aol.com
