Psychopaths and Sociopaths; Antisocial Personality Disorders
Psychopathy can be thought of as a more severe form of sociopathy with more symptoms. Therefore, all psychopaths are sociopaths but sociopaths are not necessarily psychopaths.
According to the Society for the Study of Psychopathy, psychopath traits include:
Lack of guilt/remorse
Lack of empathy
Lack of deep emotional attachments
Narcissistic Disorder
Superficial charm
Dishonesty
Manipulativeness
Reckless risk-taking
Moreover, approximately 93% of psychopaths are in the criminal justice system.
A sociopath is actually a person with antisocial personality disorder. Antisocial personality disorder is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the book which contains the diagnostic criteria for mental illnesses) as a cluster B personality disorder (those that are dramatic or emotional).
While sociopathy can only be diagnosed at the age of 18 or above, the following must be present before the age of 15 for the diagnosis:
Repeated violations of the law
Pervasive lying and deception
Physical aggressiveness
Reckless disregard for safety of self or others
Consistent irresponsibility in work and family environments
Lack of remorse
Global Mental Health Institutions:
International Psychology Research Federation International Organization for Neurology, Neurosurgery & Neurotechnology International Psychoanalysis Research Organization Fédération Européenne des Neurosciences, Psychanalyse et Santé Mentale International Neuroethics Research Foundation International Federation for Neuropsychology, Neuropsychyatry and Neuroimaging International Neurosciences Research Organization
