Fahim Muntasir

Early signs of psychopathy in children

The term psychopath connotes a vivid image of a person who lacks empathy and is likely to engage in aggressive or violent behavior towards others. Psychopathy is not a clinical diagnosis, but does share many traits with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), a serious and chronic personality disorder. It has been hypothesized that psychopathy is an extreme version of ASPD, but there are key differences in their presentation.4 Sociopaths and psychopaths both lack empathy and concern for others, but psychopaths are more likely to engage in violence without thought about its consequences or the harm it brings others. 1,3,5