Have you ever met a child psychopath?

[TheJuryIsOut]

There's some debate about whether psychopaths are born like that or made as a consequence of their environment/upbringing. If they are born that way (which I believe they are) have you ever met one? What were the signs?

I say this because there is a child in my wider family who I think may be a psychopath, there has been signs from when he was very very young and as he moves through his teenage years things have only got worse. I can't get on board with it being an environment thing as no one else in the family behaves the way he does, it's quite terrifying to think that no matter what you do your child could still go on to do horrific things and not feel a jot of guilt.

What do you think? Are they born or made?

No one has ever met a child psychopath, because being under 18 is an exclusion criteria for the assessment of psychopathy.

Children's brains are not fully developed. They cannot be psychopaths.

So do you think there's a switch that flicks on their 18th birthday and they're suddenly a psychopath?

Tell that to Jamie Bulgers mother

I know a 15yo who seems to be well on their way. Have known them since being a toddler

terrible behaviour
cruel to animals and siblings
out of mainstream education
no interest outside the home
loads of time on computer

I might get slated but honestly they are a horrible child.

I’ve met a child who was very concerning, tried to seriously hurt siblings regularly, killed family pets with no emotion, just to see what would happen to them. The parents dismissed it and made excuses for years, school picked up on it and tried to involve SS who were useless.

Fast forward he is now in jail for several rape cases - men and women. His siblings are NC with their parents as they were spectacularly failed.

I think they’re born, but in some cases nurture may improve outcomes.

No i haven't, and neither have you.

It's a fact, so I'll tell it to anyone!

Do you think children aren't capable of doing harm without being a psychopath?

Whenever I hear people talking about children being psychopaths, I tend to assume they are talking about a traumatised child but feel more comfortable placing the locus of blame in the child than understanding how children get to the point of hurting others.

So again, do you think a switch flicks on their 18th birthday and they're suddenly a psychopath?

I think it is an unholy combination of nature and nurture.
We've seen people asking about their kids on here as they are worried about their behavior at a young age.
There doesn't seem to be a 'cure' either.

Some children are predisposed to psychopathy due to their genes.

Their environment is another key factor so no doubt normally functioning people can spot children who are exhibiting behaviours outside the social norms who may later be classed as psychopaths.

I went to school with someone I believe to be some kind of psychopath or sociopath. Sadistic little fucker. He tried to pick on me but luckily my older brother scared him off (thank fucking god). After, my brother told me to not ever be alone with him and do anything to avoid being alone with him, even if it gets me in trouble and if it does get me in trouble he will back me up. He burned a girl in my class and she’s all scared from it, he got expelled and we never heard from him again thank god. He also used to pick on this girl with a learning disability and SAed her. She was extremely sweet and trusting so unfortunately an easy target.

Honestly what really scared me is that my brother who was 4 years older and about a foot taller seemed kind of scared of him. We’ve discussed it as adults and he said he just genuinely didn’t know what he was gonna do. Thought he might turn up the next day and stab him in the lunch line.

Apparently if you attended a usual sized comprehensive school or similar you will have been at school with at least one psychopath. And sociopath.
They are far more common than people realise. And do not always go about murdering people though.

Should have said he now has a working diagnosis of psychopathy.
The diagnosis was given once he was an adult, but the behaviour was there from him being a toddler.

I believe that whereas a percentage of a child's behaviour is down to inherent personality most of it is due to how the child is treated and their education and upbringing.
A lot of the children I come across behave in an appalling way - absolutely no consideration for other people, selfish, totally dismissive of adults and generally unpleasant and no sense of decency or right or wrong. And I am convinced that is not because they are in inherently bad. They have just been given no moral guidance. They take the norms of behaviour from what they see on social media and no adult seems capable of challenging them.

F

Disagree. Noone has met a child with a diagnosis you mean of psychopathy, doesn't mean they don't exist and they are many who will fulfill the criteria when they are older for a diagnosis. Unless they commit a criminal offence they won't come to the attention of the criminal justice system.

The cause is the ago old nature nurture debate for every personality disorder. I do feel it's definitely nature but nurture can exactly exacerbate it

My understanding is that a child cannot be diagnosed as a psychopath (not the official term in the DSM) but an adult can IF their behaviour has been consistent since childhood if that makes sense. Same with most personality disorders I think.

I think they’re born, but in some cases nurture may improve outcomes

Agree with this and also that nurture can make things worse.

I believe they are born rather than become that way through their environment. I’ve read a few books on this topic as I find it fascinating! My understanding is that their environment can shape the way that psychopathy presents itself. So some will go on to be violent criminals, some will become CEOs and politicians 🙃

What do you mean?

Yes

He tied up girls in the school toilets

He had notebooks at home filled with details about what he wanted to do
to his mother, female teachers and females classmates

There are many more details I can’t share on here

He was completely charming and polite when he thought a conversation was going his way and would flip like a switch to violence if he thought it wasn’t

He was 13 when I briefly encountered him professionally

I believe he is held in secure accommodation currently as is a danger to others.

One day I will see on the news that he has murdered someone

Exactly

I think that brains develop in a way that's influenced by the care and stimulation they receive from the people and environment around them. And that the frontal cortex is not fully developed until the mid twenties.

People can be psychopaths and live by the letter of the law and not harm others. So although I'd lean toward psychopathy being nature, I think how someone acts will come down to nurture. If someone has no empathy or emotion but is taught that there are severe consequences for causing harm to others but they could have a nice life if they abide by social norms, they can live a normal life and people won't have a clue what they actually are. So I would say nurture plays a very big role in it.
There will be people with other MH issues such as schizophrenia or ND conditions like ADHD that can cause people to harm others through delusional beliefs or impulsive behaviour and poor emotional regulation, I'd be more inclined to believe their behaviour is more based on nature than a psychopaths behaviour is.

I knew a child who made my skin crawl- she was adopted and I think she had reactive attachment disorder, which isn't the same as psychopathy but is very hard to be around. I am an adopter and have known many adopted children who were very badly treated as infants but this girl was the most extreme.