Psychopathy: A brief look at the causes, statistics and people behind the diagnosis.

American Psycho, Silence of the Lambs, Seven Psychopaths, Shia LaBeouf (Only kidding on that last one there, I think..) : 'Psychopathy' - Officially termed Antisocial Personality Disorder, or APD - has become an increasingly common occurrence in our everyday lives.

Western cultures' morbid curiosity with the darker sides of life has propelled this once lowly psychological term to it's current prominence, but what really constitutes Psychopathy? Is it a biological crux that an unfortunate few are born to bare, or perhaps the result of a troubled upbringing? Where did Shia LaBeouf hide the bodies? (Again, only kidding, right..?)

Let's take a look at what we currently know.

The Statistics.

• Roughly 0.75-1% of the general populace are believed to qualify as suffering from 'Psychopathy'.
• This figure rises sharply as we work our way up the chain of command within fields such as big business and politics, with average prominence rates postured to be as high as 10-15%.
• Twice as likely to commit crimes upon complete strangers than non-psychopaths, with rates of 'Stranger murder' purported to be as much as seven times more likely.

It's easy to see why, in a culture seemingly obsessed by deviant activity, this sub-section of the population would garner such attention.

"I'd totally know if I'd met one, they all behave exactly like Shia Le - Uhm, Hannibal Lector, duuh"

Well, wouldn't that be handy! In fact, one of the defining characteristics of a Psychopath is their ability to harness high intelligence and superficial charm in their everyday interactions, the perfect manipulators toolbox. Truth is, you'd most likely be coming away from the conversation wondering just where this person - I'll use any old name here, for demonstrative purposes, say he's called 'Shia' - had been all your life.

• Charm
• Egocentricity
• An incapacity for love
• Lack of remorse
• Pathological lying
• Manipulative behaviour

Just some of the diagnostic features characteristic of Psychopathy.

So, what are the causes?

The truth is, we don't yet know the full story. Researchers have so far identified various environmental predictors which appear to display diagnostic validity. Being born of parents who themselves suffer with personality disorders increases an individuals' risk, as does suffering various forms of childhood abuse. Overly authoritarian parenting, wherein negative reinforcement is emphasised to extreme levels has also been linked, however is not viewed as being as strong a predictor.

So Nurture certainly seems to play its part, but what about Nature? After-all, water needs a seed to grow anything but a puddle.

In this case, it is your genetic inheritance that represents your 'Seed' (Clumsy analogy, it's late, please forgive me). Distinct differences have been identified in both the structure and functionality of Psychopath's brains - in comparison to us 'norms'. Specifically, reduced levels of activity can be seen between two regions of the brain knows as the:

• Ventromedial Pre-frontal cortex - Responsible for emotions such as empathy and guilt.
• Amygdala - Responsible for emotions such as fear and anxiety.

It makes perfect sense when you think about it.

(Read more about this research in particular - Very interesting stuff ! At: https://www.med.wisc.edu/news-and-events/2011/november/psychopaths-brains-differences-structure-function/)

So while the exact mechanisms at play are not yet fully understood, it seems apparent that a culmination of various disparate factors need to intersect, in order for an individual to develop this disorder. An unfortunate cognitive lottery.

Lest we forget, this is a Mental Illness, not Hollywood Fiction.

While the research of such subject-matter can no doubt be fascinating, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that these are real people, suffering from an oft misunderstood mental illness. 'Psychopaths' are no more inherently bad than each and every one of us, we all start from scratch on that scorecard.

While the difference in thinking patterns, lack of empathy and purely logical way of approaching the world perhaps leads to the higher incidences of criminal activity, these skills can also make for wonderful assets within a multitude of different applications. A huge number of people fitting the diagnostic criteria no doubt live perfectly functional, successful lives. None of us choose the cognitive cards we are dealt, and Individuals are just that - Individual. Painting a section of society with too wide a metaphorical brush is never a good thing.

I mean, when you think of it, skills such as: Charisma, Fearlessness and focus, they sound like pretty wonderful traits to find in an individual, I'd certainly fancy having a bit more of those three myself from time to time. The fearlessness to open my mail, the focus to pay the bills on time for once, the charisma to talk British Gas into finally dropping that late charge which I'm sure was never actually meant for me .. a man can but dream.

I'll never pay that gas bill.

Source material and further (Very interesting!) reading can be found at:

• http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/psychotic-affective-disorders/hidden-suffering-psychopath
• https://www.npr.org/sections/theprotojournalist/2014/08/21/341858696/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-good-psychopath
  *http://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/psychology/psychology-and-psychiatry/psychopath
  *https://howtocreateapsychopath.wikispaces.com/(1)+General+Psychopathy+Facts+and+Statistics

I hope you've enjoyed this post, as always any feedback (or just general chat) is more than welcome! Would love to hear from you guys. If you found it bearable you're welcome to follow me for more psychological bits and bobs.

Have a lovely day all!