psychopath-ever-display-48.html
July 2019
49 / 76
mental health isn?t the taboo topic it once was, but openly talking about
child
ren
as sociopaths or psychopaths just feels wrong. in fact, neither term is used anymore as both are considered outdated. the new term, according to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders fifth edition, or dsm 5, has grouped psychopath and sociopath under one umbrella diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, or apd, under the heading of personality disorders. according to the american psychiatric association (apa), personality disorders are long- term patterns of behavior and internal experiences that often differ from society?s norms. because personalities are nearly unchanging over time, a diagnosis of apd implies that the condition cannot be helped. however,
child
ren
?s brains are still developing, and therefore, apd cannot be officially diagnosed until the age of 18. ?in
child
ren
, the terms ?callous- unemotional traits? with ?with limited prosocial
emotions
? are sometimes used,? according to dr. paul frick with the department of psychology at louisiana state university (lsu). ?in both the dsm fifth edition, published by the apa in 2013, and the international classification of disease 11th edition, published by the world health organization, a
child
who often shows serious conduct problems can be diagnosed with conduct disorder with limited prosocial
emotions
if his or her behavior problems are accompanied by at least two of the following features with most people and in most settings (not just occasionally or in certain situations): lack of remorse or guilt, callous?lack of empathy, a lack of concern about educational or occupational performance, and shallow
emotions
.? signs and symptoms dr. frick goes on to share, ?the first thing that should alert parents, is if their
child
is getting into trouble (such as not following rules) and hurting other people either directly by fighting and/ or bullying, or by stealing or damaging others? things.? additional red flags for conduct disorder can include the
child
using a weapon against others or animals, setting fires, stealing, and even running away from home.
child
ren
may lie to intentionally deceive others, act impulsively, disregard social norms, display erratic or dramatic behaviors, and they may also engage in illegal or promiscuous behaviors. the additional specifier, ?with limited prosocial
emotions
,? includes at least two of the following traits over a 12 month period: lack of guilt or remorse (not feeling sorry after hurting others or does not care about breaking rules); callous?lack of empathy (disregards the feelings of others, may be considered cold or uncaring); unconcerned about performance (shows no concern about problematic performance in important activities, may even blame others for their own poor performance); and shallow or deficient affect (their
emotions
may appear insincere or superficial, or
emotions
are used to manipulate others for personal gain). hope for families for the
child
?parents can seek a psychological evaluation to determine if these problems are due to the above traits or due to other factors, such as the
child
being impulsive or having trouble controlling their anger because the
child
is frustrated with school,? shares dr. frick. ?such evaluations can be done by licensed psychologists, and we offer those services through the psychological services center at lsu. it is important that parents seek help for these behaviors early because the treatments are very effective for young
child
ren
, but they get less effective as the
child
gets older and enters the adolescence stage.? although there are no medications to specifically treat conduct disorders, medications for anxiety, depression, impulsivity, and mood-stabilizers can help control some of the symptoms. additionally, physicians suggest regular exercise, meditation, or yoga to help manage symptoms of stress and anxiety. my first job out of teaching college, where i trained to become a special education teacher, was in a middle school classroom for students who were considered emotionally/behaviorally disturbed. i loved the job, and i stayed there for five years before moving on to my next teaching challenge. in those five years, i had some incredible students and some incredibly scary students. i had one girl who wanted to cut the fetus out of another student?s body with a pair of scissors. i remember standing between her and the pregnant student until help arrived. i taught one male student for a while until he horrifically impaled his grandmother to the floor of their home with a screwdriver, and he was incarcerated. when i reached out for more stories, my inbox immediately started alerting me to new messages. here are some of their stories. note: the names in these stories have been changed to help protect the families involved. ?paul was only 13 years old when he was sent to the psych ward for the first time,? shares terri, a local mother. ?i walked on eggshells around him for years. my husband, to this day, has not accepted the disorder. we have disagreements about paul all the time, and i tell my husband to let me handle him on my terms. paul has never really had a relationship with his father.? john, a local father, shares, ?my daughter was three when we first started to see that she was very different from other
child
ren
. not just different, bad different, manipulative and unremorseful. she lied and stole property from others.? grace, a local teacher, shares what she experienced with a student. ?she was caught in the neighbor?s yard with a big knife. she?d caught some of their koi fish and had cut them open to see their insides and watch them die. she was in second grade. she started several fires and hurt the family pets. it was so strange because she appeared calm and quiet at school. we paid close attention to who talked with her to see if she had enemies. none. friends? none.
child
ren
didn?t outwardly dislike her, just kept their distance, like they knew something wasn?t quite right.? j u l y 2 0 1 9 | b r p a r e n t s . c o m 4 9
parents-child-group-50.html