Signs of Psychopathy in Kids
Many parents have often questioned—even if it is for a split second—whether a
child's lack of remorse or empathy might be a sign of a much bigger problem. However, no
parent ever wants to imagine that their child has psychopathy.
While the term psychopath is not an official mental health diagnosis, it describes a
cluster of characteristics and behaviors that indicate an individual is callous, uncaring, and
deceitful. In the current psychiatric terminology, the pattern is generally known as Antisocial
Personality Disorder.
In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association included the condition "conduct disorder
with callous and unemotional traits" for children ages 12 and over in its diagnostic manual,
DSM-5.
It is a severe condition that reflects interpersonal deficits. It can also be linked to
harmful behaviors.
People with psychopathy are often misunderstood, however. They are frequently
depicted as mass murderers in movies. The truth is, most people with psychopathy do not
become serial killers. Some people with psychopathy go on to become successful
entrepreneurs and business leaders.
One study estimates that about 3% of business leaders may have psychopathy.
Prevalence
Researchers estimate that about 1% of the adult population may meet the criteria for
psychopathy.
Psychopathy is more common among males than females, but it is not strictly a male
disorder.
However, because mental health providers do not use the label psychopath, the exact
numbers are not known. However, many of the diagnoses used in mental health treatment
overlap with psychopathy.
Callous and unemotional children are often diagnosed with oppositional defiant
disorder at a young age. Then, during their teen years, they may be diagnosed with conduct
disorder, which involves a persistent pattern of violating the rights of others and disregarding
basic social rules.
As adults, people with psychopathy may be diagnosed with antisocial personality
disorder.
Moreover, while the conditions overlap, they are not synonymous. An antisocial
personality disorder is a personality-based diagnosis. Psychopathy is more of a
behaviorbased condition.
Warning Signs
A 2016 study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan suggests early
signs of psychopathy can be seen in children as young as two years old. Even at this age, they
show differences in empathy and conscience.
The study asked the primary caregiver, the other parent, and a teacher/daycare
provider to rate callous-unemotional (CU) behavior between ages 2 and 4 on the following
items:
1. A child does not seem guilty after misbehaving.
2. Punishment does not change your child's behavior.
3. The child is selfish/will not share.
4. Child lies.
5. The child is sneaky and tries to manipulate the parent.
The researchers followed up with those children again when they were 9. They
discovered that the children who exhibited the most conduct issues as toddlers or
preschoolers were more likely to exhibit behavior problems associated with psychopathy
later in childhood. 1. A child with psychopathy exhibits similar traits to adults who have
psychopathy. For instance, they may harm animals or attempt to kill animals for sport and
excitement.
2. Tweens, teens, and older kids sometimes harm and kill animals for sexual gratification.
This often occurs in psychopathy/conduct disorder and antisocial personality disorder.
3. The telltale signs of psychopathy involve disregarding others' feelings and a complete
lack of remorse.
Diagnosis
There is no single test that indicates a child may have psychopathy, but psychologists
do have several assessments available to help them assess and measure a child's symptoms.
One of the most commonly used assessments is the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory
(YPI).
It is a self-report instrument, meaning that adolescents are given the test and asked
to answer the questions about themselves. It is meant to measure personality traits
rather than behavior.
It is pretty reliable when the YPI has been tested on incarcerated and institutionalized
youth. The test assesses for the following symptoms:
1. Dishonest charm
2. Grandiosity
3. Lying
4. Manipulation
5. Callousness
6. Unemotionality
7. Remorselessness
8. Impulsiveness
9. Thrill-seeking
10. Irresponsibility
Additionally, adolescents with high callous and unemotional traits are likely to join with
antisocial and delinquent peers to commit crimes in groups.
It is important to note that the children who rank high in psychopathy are not likely to
be pressured into breaking laws. Instead, they are more likely to be the ringleaders who
influence the other group members to engage in antisocial behavior.
Link to Substance Abuse
In both adults and teens, research has found that individuals who rank high
in psychopathic traits are more likely to abuse substances.
Researchers suspect that the relationship is reciprocal, meaning that individuals who
tend to be impulsive and irresponsible are more likely to abuse substances. Moreover,
substance abuse is
more
likely to lead to an increase in impulsive and irresponsible behavior.
Adolescent males who rank high in psychopathy traits tend to begin using substances
at an
earlier age. They are also more likely to use a wider variety of drugs and struggle with
substance abuse issues into adulthood.
Stability of Symptoms
Some researchers suggest that psychopathy traits remain stable across the lifespan,
meaning
that a child who exhibits signs of psychopathy is likely to grow up to exhibit those same
traits.
Other researchers suggest that psychopathy scores are likely to be inflated during
adolescence. Sensation seeking and impulsivity are highest during this stage of life, and it
may be a developmental issue, not necessarily a pathological one.
Studies indicate that children who tend to be callous and unemotional are more likely
to become aggressive later in life. They are also more likely to commit crimes.
Without treatment, it is unlikely that psychopathy will improve over time.
Causes
There are many debates about whether psychopaths are born or made.
Nevertheless, researchers suspect it is not such a clear-cut issue. Instead, psychopathy
results from a complex relationship between genetics, family dynamics, and life
experiences.
Early exposure to a dysfunctional environment is likely a factor in developing
psychopathic traits.
Children who have been physically abused, neglected, and separated from their
parents are more likely to develop psychopathy.
Poor bonding with a parent is also thought to be a factor. A parent with mental
health issues or substance abuse problems, or one with little contact with an infant, for
example, may never bond
with a child. Children who have inconsistent caregivers may also be unable to successfully
attach to an adult.
Studies show that male adolescents with psychopathy are most likely to have been
victimized at a young age. Adolescent females with psychopathy, on the other hand, are
more likely to have come from a dysfunctional background, such as frequent changes in
foster homes.
Some studies suggest that children with callous and unemotional traits may be
hardwired a little differently. Their brains react differently to fear, sadness, and negative
stimuli. They also have difficulty recognizing other people's emotions.
Peer victimization may also play a role. Children victimized by their peers are more
likely to become callous and unemotional at older ages.
Treatments
For many years, it was thought that people with psychopathy were untreatable. But
more recent studies suggest that symptoms can improve with intensive treatments tailored
to the unique emotional, cognitive, and motivational styles found in children who rank high
in psychopathy.
Children who exhibit psychopathy traits require specialized treatment. They do not
respond well to usual methods of discipline since they seem to be unfazed by
consequences and they do not care if others are disappointed in their choices.
Some residential treatment programs offer reward-based interventions, meaning
that children must earn every privilege based on good behavior. Studies show that these
types of interventions can have a positive impact on children's behavior.
Children may benefit from learning pro-social behavior, empathy, problem-solving
skills, and emotion recognition. Treatment often focuses on improving a child's ability to
cope with anger and frustration.
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