Sociopathy

May 1, 2010 12:05 PM

Borderline sociopathy?

Is it technically defined as a binary yes/no thing, or is there a scale from "completely not" to "somewhat" to "completely" sociopathic?

Is there some way, without having to consult with a professional, to self-assess?

And if it turns out that I meet the criteria for this condition, is there a way to change? Without drugs?

posted by anonymous to law & government (12 answers total)

I can't say, but this may help a bit. I found it informative when trying to determine if an ex was a sociopath.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociopath
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 12:12 PM on May 1, 2010

Very few behaviors are binary. Most are a continuum.

I doubt that self-assessments you could find would be reliable.

If you feel comfortable listing your specific concerns, we might be able to comment further.
posted by lukemeister at 12:29 PM on May 1, 2010

It seems to me that the very fact that you are concerned makes it unlikely that you are sociopathic. The fact that you want to change makes the likelihood of you actually being able to change much greater. A good therapist can help you with this -- without drugs. I know you don't want to consult a professional but there are people who have been trained to recognize your problem and to help fix it.
posted by rhartong at 12:43 PM on May 1, 2010 [7 favorites]

Sociopathy isn't a DSM defined disorder. There are researchers who study it, but it's not a well defined there's no real 'technical' definition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociopath

That redirects to the article on psychopathy (which sounds pretty similar to what most people consider to be sociopathy)

this section talks about the difference between psychopathy vs. sociopathy.
posted by delmoi at 1:19 PM on May 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

Neither sociopathy nor psychopathy has any particular legal definition. All the legal system is really interested in is whether or not a given person poses a danger to himself or others. Whether or not they've got a diagnosable condition is irrelevant, though it can be good evidence for such a conclusion.
posted by valkyryn at 1:22 PM on May 1, 2010

Unless you're out committing crimes, could you be looking for the diagnostic criteria for plain old narcissism instead? (Which is yet another case of, if you suspect you have it and you want to change, you probably wouldn't end up with a medical diagnosis.)
posted by availablelight at 1:45 PM on May 1, 2010

Your phrase "borderline sociopathy" indicates some confusion about these things. As delmoi points out, the DSM doesn't recognize a distinct disorder called "sociopathy;" it was a disorder in some earlier psychological schemes, but today most of those traits are known under the heading of "psychopathy."

You should also know that a completely separate disorder with some of the same symptoms, in less exaggerated and intense form, is recognized by the DSM as Antisocial Personality Disorder. Wikipedia says:

People having antisocial personality disorder are sometimes mistakenly referred to as "sociopaths" and "psychopaths". However, an abundance of research has shown that antisocial personality disorder, psychopathy, and sociopathy are distinctly different personality disorders.

(This should not be confused with Borderline Personality Disorder, which is itself a completely separate personality disorder.)

Here is the DSM-IV diagnostic for Antisocial Personality Disorder:

A) There is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and the rights of others occurring since the age of 15, as indicated by three (or more) of the following:

1. failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest;

2. deceitfulness, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure;

3. impulsivity or failure to plan ahead;

4. irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults;

5. reckless disregard for safety of self or others;

6. consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations;

7. lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another.

B) The individual is at least 18 years of age.

C) There is evidence of Conduct disorder with onset before age 15.

D) The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or a manic episode.

This is a longer description from the DSM-IV; it's good reading, and I recommend it.

All this may sound complicated. That's because it is. That longer description there notes that antisocial folks hardly ever consent to treatment, and when they do, it's usually under duress. So I understand that you'd rather not go in for the therapy thing. However, I want to say that it's impossible to know whether or not you've got APD, or BPD, or whether you're truly psychopathic - unless you see a professional. Having an independent and non-biased diagnosis is the only way to know what's truly going on here and how serious it is. You may well not have to take drugs - to my knowledge, drugs aren't even seen as a common treatment for APD, and it's only in more aggravated cases of psychopathy that drugs are used.

Most of all, I want to stress that this is about your happiness. It may seem to you that it's only other people you hurt, and that this is something you'd rather just take care of yourself and be done with it; but notice: you came here for help. That means that it is bothering you enough for you to notice, and honestly if it's a problem then it will only get worse and cause you to be a very conflicted and unhappy person - unless you confront it head-on and do whatever it takes to treat it. Please, talk to a psychiatrist. Discuss the problem with another person, make a plan of action for how you're going to deal with it, and then get going. It will make life better, trust me. Also, you never have to take drugs if you don't want to, and most psychiatrists will accept it if you say you'd rather not.
posted by koeselitz at 1:45 PM on May 1, 2010 [4 favorites]

Is it technically defined as a

No. Because its not technically defined.

Its kind of like "nice"...which is NOT technically defined.
posted by hal_c_on at 2:32 PM on May 1, 2010

I would say seek a diagnosis from a competent provider (not that the people on AskMe aren't the smartest on the web but...). There are many facets to personality disorders which can challenge even the most well educated/experienced psych doctors. Also, once you figure out what you have, putting a treatment plan together via mefi may be difficult (sorry, we can't provde therapy or prescibe meds).
p.s. If you can't afford a visit with a doc, check out local university psychiatry departments Professors may have some ideas for you and there may be studies/highly discounted care provided by students that may help.
posted by MsKim at 2:58 PM on May 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

Koselitz's suggestion is good: seek advice from a real doctor.

It sounds like you are concerned about confidentiality. Doctors are bound by doctor/patient privilege to not disclose any information about you. There are some circumstances where they can breach this, like to prevent you from carrying out a specific threat against a person, or (I'm not sure about this) maybe if you admit to a specific past crime. But generally, therapists are HIGHLY respectful of confidentiality: if they weren't, very few people with serious mental conditions would seek treatment.

I suppose if you are really concerned about it, you could simply go to a first session, paying cash and using a fake name.

I also want to note something. A lot of times, people who are seriously worried about being psychopaths are not, in fact, psychopaths. Extreme anxiety about possible medical conditions can often be a sign of anxiety disorders (for instance, OCD. This is Dr. Lee Baer's book on OCD: "The Imp of The Mind", which discusses how some patients have irrational fears about having other mental disorders). This is why I suggest seeking treatment: we cannot diagnose you over the internet, but a good doctor can do so in private consultation.
posted by HabeasCorpus at 5:18 PM on May 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

Backing up some of the previous assertions- most of us who are diagnosed with ASPD are not diagnosed due to voluntary examination. HC has a point here; if this is a point on which you feel emotional concern, it is extremely unlikely. Likewise for the comparisons of disorders above; however, many of us are inclined to resent sociopathic disorders being confused with psychopathy.

As to your question whether you can make a permanent internal change without drugs (if you do have a sociopathic disorder), the consensus seems to be no. Those of us who are medically diagnosed are usually not susceptible to psychological change via psychotherapy and CBT.
posted by the_observer at 6:33 PM on May 1, 2010

You can try to define your behaviors and thoughts that concern you, and you can try to change them. A good therapist can help.
posted by theora55 at 10:33 PM on May 1, 2010