Diagnosed Psychopath. AMA.

[AMAatall]

I have antisocial personality disorder. This is a spectrum. I fall to one extreme of the spectrum which is referred to as psychopathy. I am a 33 year old woman with a professional career. AMA.

Pottering My family do not know and the only other people in my life are work colleagues and acquaintances.

Bichon It is what it is.

Namechange I have never been convicted of a crime.

PinkyU My condition (if it is called that) does not overtly help me in my career. In some respects it probably does as politics within the workplace pass me by. In other respects it may hinder me due to not being able to see things unobjectively.

State and Purple I do not have children.

Egg That’s a difficult question. I don’t think that I manipulate people to get what I want but I could do it without realising. I can be convincing when I need to be but I am not a ‘social assassin’ and don’t resort to dirty tricks to get my own way.

State I have not had therapy. It was offered to me at one stage in my career a few years ago and I was too busy. Perhaps if it is offered again I might take it up. I’ll see.

Pickle Not all psychopaths are criminals. And vice versa. Many corporatations deliberately employ people with ABD. We are more common than you think. Many people with this trait are able to function in everyday society- You’ve probably met a few.

Redwine I have no partner.

Redpanda I do fake emotions and a particular issue I have had is to change my face and expression. In a previous job, I met someone who was very vocal and overt in their emotions and she was fantastic in teaching me how to show specific emotions. In particular- disappointment, sympathy and humour.

Sourpatch I first spoke to a counsellor, then a GP, then the local mental health team and was then referred to a psychologist.

Ethel I was withdrawn as a child. These stories about hurting animals or committing petty crimes are stereotypical.

@sourpatchkid

Are you a medical professional who diagnoses autistic people?

Not a rhetorical question, I genuinely want to know if your opinion is based on genuine professional knowledge or prejudice based on a misguided belief that you understand autism.

So were you formally diagnosed by a psychiatrist, or is this something that a counsellor has suggested might be the case? Are you in the U.K.?

Sorry!! Cross posted. You answered it already

State Yes I have a formal diagnosis. I am in the UK.

Are psychologists allowed to dx psychopathy?

to your answer to namechange's question!

Are there any circumstances where you enjoy socialising for its own sake?

No questions yet but following with interest.

What jumped out at me was that your description sounded like autism to me (I'm a complete lay person though!)

i agree with@sourpatchkid and i do work in psychiatry.

So...what characteristics define you as being down at the far end of the spectrum towards psychopathy ?

Devilish No but their report informs the psychiatrist.

Thisone It was an honest answer.

How reliable do you believe psychiatrists are at diagnosing personality disorders given that most personality disordered people are capable of being incredibly manipulative and most are intelligent.

@Autistichedgehog - I don't like to out myself too much but yes I'm professionally trained and have worked with those with autistic spectrum conditions. I'm aware my response was maybe too flippant and I do apologise but I'm just struggling to see the psychopathy and I know females on the autistic spectrum as grossly misunderstood generally (I find many learn social skills and so get ruled out of a diagnosis and then get labelled with a million and one other diagnoses)

Thisone No. I hate it. It’s boring and exhausting. But I don’t think this is exclusive to me because I often talk to people who have made arrangements to socialise and then when it comes to the day or evening, don’t want to go.

@gizmomonki

Are you a psychiatrist? Do you specialise in autism? Have you ever formally diagnosed someone with an ASD?

Again, not rhetorical, I just want to know whether to respect your opinion or not.

Ps clinical psychologists can diagnose ASC and PD if they're appropriately trained. It's not solely the remit of psychiatry.

I find there are experts on this thread who would prefer to flout their expertise so I will bow out. This serves no purpose to me. I wanted to break the stereotype of psychopathy as being Hannibal Lecter and allow people to see that some of us with this condition function in society without causing harm to others. But it seems that I have become a case study for internet specialists. I won’t waste any more time.

@sourpatchkid

Thank you for responding (and sorry for the thread hijack) but I’m just so fed up of the number of people with no apparent qualification diagnosing autism. You only have to look at the “married to an Aspie” threads so see the level of ignorance.

However I’m also surprised that as a professional you feel you can diagnose someone based on a few lines on an anonymous forum.

To score highly on a psychopathy assessment, you need to present with criminal behaviour.

Autisticiched- nobody could diagnose asd based on this- but I think it's fair speculation and am also sceptical of the diagnosis given- and the route to such a diagnosis.
I am ADOS trained. Psychiatric diagnosis is not an exact science and there are blurry lines to most of these classifications.

This is quite an eye opener. I share many of the traits you've written, and more.

Can I ask, if you haven't already answered this question, was this due to some kind of childhood trauma?