have you ever known a psychopath?

Originally posted by needlenight
reply to post by MischeviousElf

 

I have already been to 3 different psychologists. The first send me on to the next one, and that one send me on to my current one. But please dont mistake me here, I have what others would consider a good life, I do not suffer from this, I live with it and might I say, I am doing quite well for myself.
Your post however interrested me and I will ask to take a test for aspergers, the next time I see my psychologist. Also I will use our next meeting to discuss alternative diagnoses, if only for the sake of my curiosity.
But I am rather sure of my diagnosis and I am certain you would be too, if I gave you all the info about my case. But you will simply have to take my word for that. It is not something you will want to disclose, even online.

And I do not do lawsuits, that is an american trait that is beneath me.

i would have to say after 3 psychologists i'll take your word for it. you might seem aspergers from a few sentences that are up for translation without further person to person discussion but that doesn't mean you are.

Originally posted by needlenight
reply to post by MischeviousElf

 

And I do not do lawsuits, that is an american trait that is beneath me.

To be honest that last quote screams WRONG DIAGNOSIS to me which is why I put it in lol, its part but changed differently by me to post here one of the tests for what you are meant to have.

Personal gain financially, getting "one over others" "getting Control" "revenge" having an "better name" in the view of others bigger locus of control, STATUS Such important drivers of them.

Crying, eating your own shi*, self harm (attention ones) etc anything will be done by them to get their ends, there is no below them in behavior if the result is positive to them, they will talk like Jesus one minute being top of the Church council, and slip a knife into an prostitute, not to pay the charge in an dark alley next moment.

They are actors always adapting to be what they have to be to get ahead by using and taking from others, no matter what the behavior.

Sociopathic and Psychopathic people wont talk openly about things about "their" issues as you have, to it takes away any manipulation you can do on here as others would point out the diagnosis, unless it serves them in some way ie don't punish me or I am caught out have sympathy I cant help it forgive me I will never do it again type of thing.

I cant see any Function, Primary or Secondary gain from you being so honest on here, from an Socio- or Psycho-pathic drivers.

The following is the best way to describe what goes through an Sociopaths and Psychopaths mind when dealing with people, I quote from one of my clients how they think, had this very obviously and all you have done on here is the Opposite.

It does not matter what the truth is at all, the only important thing is what people believe

You are WAY too honest lol.

Wheres the Blame Pointing? Anger? Attempt to hide your difference, need to increase your Status, Pathological Lies, Darren Brown like ability on Body Language and emotions of others (a very strong ability in all with this) Need for Power? Need to have lots of people running around after you all the time?

Good luck on your Journey, Take your life back my friend if I am right, if I am wrong all with good intentions and sorry.
Go to your Medical Doctor for the test please not current Mental Health Professional.

Lots of Love

Elf

Originally posted by SavedOne
Yes, I was acquainted with one. He was the boyfriend of a friend of mine. I was only around him a few times, but he was one scary dude. It's hard to explain, but he just seemed like a ticking time bomb ready to explode into a wave of violence and death. He just looked and acted like he had no concern with trivial issues like morality or the value of life. Being around him felt like like having a gun pointed at your head with a finger on the trigger, that's the only way I can think of to describe it. Like something really bad was going to happen any second. He just oozed evil vibes. I heard a lot of stories about him from my friend, he was extremely abusive and violent and was a pathological liar on top of everything else. That was over 20 years ago, but once you meet someone like that your mind draws a picture of them right under "psychopath" in your mind's dictionary.

As a side note, that friend is not the only woman I've known that stayed in an abusive relationship knowing full well that it was stupid and could very well result in her death. It is really frustrating trying to get through to people like that.

he sounds very scary. i have also known women to stay in abusive relationships but only of the emotional kind. it's frustrating watching it.

personally i can't believe i stayed involved for as long as i did. it was only a total of 5 months but i should have checked out after the first sign. the problem in my situation was that at first i just thought he had an anger problem that could possibly be helped. he never hit me (honestly, as bad as it sounds, i almost wish he had because i'd have some proof). he was so good at manipulating me that i kept thinking i was being paranoid. even after really ODD events i would think to myself "oh, you're being paranoid. no one is THAT crazy" and because he had so many "fans" and he was so charming it didn't make sense.

reply to post by MischeviousElf


actually, there is a whole group who are open about it and have an entire website dedicated to it. it's really messed up and i've only looked at it once because it disturbed me too much to read it. they give each other tips and pats on the back and laugh at "empaths" which is what they call us (those who have feelings).

psychopaths who are diagnosed don't usually have a problem discussing it if it's anonymous (because they don't care what you think) and it's anonymous here. no reason for him to hide his diagnosis. he said only his family knows.

reply to post by pasiphae


He has an Digital ID on here.

There is no gain like in the group you mention nothing to learn new way how to do it, no competition of who is the best one, or did you know what I did once laugh...

Just imho he has not behaved like I observed when working at the extreme end of Mental Health for many years.

There is ALWAYS an gain, and I cant for the life of me see it or even an secondary one, just risk of loss so far from the functions of the groups we describem its almost like me saying I passed Maths in school when younger therefore I am Einstein.

Lots of Love

Elf

Originally posted by pasiphae
i'd like to hear some other experiences with psychopaths. i'm not talking about people who are just mean.... but people who have no conscience. they fake emotion to fool people and have no other mission than self "pleasure". they aren't all killers. some never physically harm anyone. many do.

have you known one? are you one? (since this site is essentially anonymous i figure it can't hurt to ask - some like to boast about it). were you married to or were you in a relationship with one?

That's not a psycopath, that is a sociopath. Psychopaths have emotions and they react to them very strongly. Theyre the type of people that are perfectly fine until someone goofs up and does something they don't like and then they try to kill you or they actually may succeed in killing you.

Sociopaths have no feelings, the only emotion they can feel is pleasure that is derived from hurting someone and being cruel. They are soulless, anathema, they are abominations that should be destroyed. You can treat a psychopath with medication, there is no treatment for sociopathy. You can't give a soul to a person born without one.

I was a correctional officer when i was in my low 20's and the prison i worked at caught the overflow from the state reformatory that housed the criminally insane. I met a guy that killed his own brother by electrocuting him using house current from a nearby electrical socket and if i remember correctly he dismembered him. I was constantly surrounded by people that gave me the willies, like when they stare at you, instead of seeing a person theyre seeing a juicy red steak.

I remember one night we got a new guy and the only bed left was in a cell with a multiple murderer who was a sociopath, the next morning the new guy was found cut to pieces and he had been stuffed into his own dufflebag that was hanging on the edge of his bunk. The guy that killed him had a 3000 year sentance.

I met one kid that was 19 back then, he got 500 years in prison because he was a habitual offender who was addicted to robbing peoples houses. He would get out of prison and we'd see him back a week later for another stint until he racked up enough felonies that the judge threw a rather large book at him without parole. That three strikes and youre out policy we have for felons? That's not a myth, and that kid found that out the hardway.

Originally posted by lonewolf19792000
I was a correctional officer when i was in my low 20's and the prison i worked at caught the overflow from the state reformatory that housed the criminally insane. I met a guy that killed his own brother by electrocuting him using house current from a nearby electrical socket and if i remember correctly he dismembered him. I was constantly surrounded by people that gave me the willies, like when they stare at you, instead of seeing a person theyre seeing a juicy red steak.

I remember one night we got a new guy and the only bed left was in a cell with a multiple murderer who was a sociopath, the next morning the new guy was found cut to pieces and he had been stuffed into his own dufflebag that was hanging on the edge of his bunk. The guy that killed him had a 3000 year sentance.

I met one kid that was 19 back then, he got 500 years in prison because he was a habitual offender who was addicted to robbing peoples houses. He would get out of prison and we'd see him back a week later for another stint until he racked up enough felonies that the judge threw a rather large book at him without parole. That three strikes and youre out policy we have for felons? That's not a myth, and that kid found that out the hardway.

first, here is the difference between psychopath and sociopath. often the terms are used interchangeably but neither have understanding of empathy and neither "feel" the way most of us do

blogs.psychcentral.com...

second.... acckkk!!! that is one gruesome story!! holy moly.

"when they stare at you, instead of seeing a person theyre seeing a juicy red steak."

yeah, i know that look. i know it all too well.

There was a kid on my block growing up who bashed my brother in the head with a large rock. He attacked people with pitch forks and ice picks, showed up at my friend's house with a knife in hand and told his mother he was going to kill him. Probably didn't help that he was fun to tease.

And a friend of mine who lived next door to that kid was also unusually cruel animals and people. He couldn't pass a beaver in a pond without throwing rocks at it. I don't even want to describe what he did to a snake we caught that bit him. We had caught a bunch of frogs on time, and he stapled them to the roof of his tree fort by one legs. Like 30 frogs dangling and squirming from the roof until their legs ripped right off. He's not alive now, and it makes me wonder about Karma.

reply to post by The Cusp


yikes! that kid could have been a psychopath or he could have been very abused and was just an abuser himself due to his own torture. probably best he's not around anymore. without a lot of help it's not surprising he didn't make it.

Yes.

Among others I have known, my ex-wife had other issues, but which devolved into psychopathy-- as sometimes happens with her diagnosis.

It is hard to know what behavior was psychopathic and what was not. She is clever. Charged with manslaughter, but not prosecuted -- which could have actually been murder-- but to casual acquaintances (like a Grand Jury) there is nothing about her to lead you to suspect anything but a tragic accident.

She tried to poison our children twice-- but again-- even to me, I could never determine if it was accidental in either case. In each case, she took them to an ER to find they had not ingested the poison after all. In the second case, she drove with them past the first ER an additional several miles-- which she could not explain. I now suspect that it was to avoid confronting the same doctors with the history. She is clever.

I once spent over thirty-six hours mostly unconscious, being told by her that I had a fever-- but in hind sight, she used that time to buy two cars, never took me to the doctor, and somehow knew when I would wake up, feel better and be hungry-- by showing up with huge dinner prepared just for me. With years to look back on it and much more evidence (including learning that she is psychopathic)-- I now suspect I was drugged.

As has been stated in a prior post-- the odds are excellent that all of us have encountered psychopaths and sociopaths-- yet did not have enough experience with them to suspect.

reply to post by Frira


uggg... sorry you were married to a psychopath. i hope the kids aren't too affected?

it does sound like you were drugged. i'm pretty sure i was drugged at least once but probably twice. the second time wasn't long lasting. i've talked to someone else who suspects he drugged her. several evenings of missing memory.

reply to post by pasiphae


By your parameters im a psychopath. Throw psychokinesus in there and youve got a psychotic slushee...

Originally posted by xacto
reply to post by pasiphae

 

By your parameters im a psychopath. Throw psychokinesus in there and youve got a psychotic slushee...

that was funny

my full parameters are here: blogs.psychcentral.com...

probably should have fully stated all of them but i figured anyone who knows they knew a psychopath would know what one was so i didn't give details.

are you a psychopath?

Lets just say you wouldn't even want to know what I am thinking on a bad day. I tend to ignore those thoughts because I know what they will do to me and all that are around me. If I wanted to I could "snap" and this wouldn't be very good. Deep down I'm a peace loving, friendly person that has been twisted by bad thoughts and things I read and hear.

reply to post by ToneDeaf

Psychopaths cannot shed tears,
however a wink, shallow laughter, anger to intimidate
comes natural to them.

Not sure where you got this bit. I have been involved with more than one who knew how to turn on the tears at will. That's part of how they suck people in...by seeming "needy".

I used to work in schools with the kids who were not suitable for mainstream classrooms. I worked with dozens of them over the years. They could turn on the tantrums or waterworks at will, and turn them off just as easily.

reply to post by pasiphae

Hi, OP. I'm not sure why you're asking this, but yes, I have known several, in a variety of situations, relationships, and circumstances. Scary lot, usually you don't figure it out until at least SOME damage is done to you first, or you've watched a loved one suffer at the hands of one.

If you're interested in discussing, let me know, but I gotta tell ya, the frog stories turned my stomach, made me cringe, and I'm leery of reading any more of the responses.

The term Psychopath is frequently used interchangeably with Sociopath. They often start young, too, but cannot be diagnosed as such until they reach majority (at least in the USA). Minors are considered to be "Conduct Disordered" until they prove they are outright not going to outgrow anything. Others undergo some trauma as adults that "snaps" their sanity, and they "become" remorseless, vengeful monsters. That kind enjoy the pain of others, where sociopaths don't comprehend that others have feelings at all.

Either way these individuals are lacking in social norms of compassion and regard for the rights of others, nor concern for the harm they cause others. It remains to be figured out whether there is a definite cause, but some people seem to just be "born that way," and others are "created" by, for example, early and traumatic severing of primary caregiver relationships. Those Romanian babies, for example, got no human interaction. Many were adopted by well-meaning folks, only to find out their adopted child is incapable of having meaningful relationships (attachment disorder). They don't develop the capacity to love someone back.

Then there are the crack-babies, so to speak. Poisoned in the womb.

Psychopaths and Sociopaths are devoid of compassion, very skilled at manipulation, generally very charming, bright, and utterly, completely remorseless. Calculating, deliberate, and able to put on performances that convince others they are genuine.

Not easily detected, even by experts, sometimes. I think one has to have been harmed by one before they really get a grasp of what the red flags are and learn to not trust the next one that comes along.

Strictly speaking, Psychotic is the term used for those who hallucinate, have delusions, lose their grip on reality, etc.
That will be two cents, please. (I no longer get to bill hours )

--wt

Originally posted by sparky8580
Lets just say you wouldn't even want to know what I am thinking on a bad day. I tend to ignore those thoughts because I know what they will do to me and all that are around me. If I wanted to I could "snap" and this wouldn't be very good. Deep down I'm a peace loving, friendly person that has been twisted by bad thoughts and things I read and hear.

i'm glad you ignore those thoughts or at least choose not to act on them (i hope you haven't acted on any). i wouldn't consider you a psychopath because you are a peace loving friendly person.... if you actually have feelings. not sure if those are just the words you chose or if it's truly what you meant. i think most of us (not all) have bad thoughts no matter how peace loving we are. i won't tell you i never think bad thoughts because i do. i have no desire or urge to act on them though. i feel anger and even rage at times but i've never hurt anyone and i've never been in trouble . pretty normal stuff.

reply to post by wildtimes



i agree with you 100% since i've read extensively on the subject. if you read the rest of my replies you'll see why i asked. thanks so much for your reply! i've got to walk away for a bit but will be back.

edit to add: yes, the DO know how to turn on the waterworks they love to play the victim b.s.

reply to post by pasiphae


I went through your posts in thread...yup, you had one there! I went through the same, and it nearly destroyed me. And I should have known better, but I missed the signs and fell for the crap.

I also was once married to one of those "chameleon" types such as needlenight describes. They put on whatever "mask" they have learned is appropriate
(and thank to to needlenight for your disclosure, and good on ya for getting help).

I would not be at all suprised if that ex of mine does snap....someday....and if I didn't know better I'd even suspect needlenight of being him!! But he also told me (my ex) that he was not a person who would ever need counseling, he was above it, so I doubt it.

But, my response to needle's second post was the same as yours (before I scrolled down to yours). Wow.

Anyhoo, I had a thread last summer you might find interesting on this topic:
(New Title: ) How are people manipulated by psychopaths?

Look forward to future discussions, 'I been there, done that,' sister!! "Ouch!", right?

YES!!!
it must be something in the water but...
i have 4 friends who have been in jail for attempted murder/assault/false imprisonment/manslaughter etc...
some havent been caught yet either

one took alot of drugs and went crazy at a macdonalds drive thru (with 2 hunting knives)
because they put no lettuce in his burger...

another has stabbed 6 people yet has faced no jail sentence for such a crime
through fear and intimidation of his victims... (im not speaking to this one anymore as he tried to cut my ear off)

another has went to jail for something like 16 months for battering a young father to death with a fence post
after he was badly beaten up earlier in the night by the victim he got such a short term because the police were late and instead arrested the youths who were "finishing him off" they later found the murder weapon but it wasnt enough to say he had killed him

the fourth one i dont want to mention as i still speak to him and i think he just needs some medical care
to deal with his psychopathic tendancys (maybe depressed)

but then again even i am a psychopath at times
there have been times i have been on drugs/intoxicated and left people in hospital badly injured all the while not remembering any of the previous nights events

i have since calmed down and only talk to my 4th friend out of all of them
i stopped taking drugs (well cut down i guess....) and stopped drinking all together
now i havent been arrested in 5 years
(when i stopped drinking heavily with intention of getting drunk/causing trouble)