Have you ever wondered whether a person you know might be a psychopath?
I'm not talking about that ex you hate because the relationship didn't pan out, that happens to all of us.
I mean, have you genuinely considered whether someone in your life could be diagnosed with the condition?
If this is you, then you're in luck, because a diagnosed psychopath has come forward and given us some ways to be able to tell.
Vic Path, who uses her online platform to raise awareness about antisocial personality disorder (APD), recently shared a list of signs to watch for in a viral TikTok video.
APD, according to the NHS, often manifests as impulsive, irresponsible, and sometimes criminal behavior. Psychopathy is considered a severe form of APD.
Here are the five major signs, according to Vic, a "diagnosed psychopath", that someone in your life could be a psychopath:
1. Extreme Charm and Manipulation“Psychopaths are extremely manipulative people, so if there’s a psychopath in your life, you’re probably being manipulated in some way,” Vic says in her video.
She explains that one of the first clues is charm: “If the first time you met them, you thought they were the coolest person in the world, and you notice that every time they meet new people, new people seem to love them... but over time, they just seem normal to you, that could be a sign that they’re a psychopath.”
2. Everything Always Goes Their Way
Another sign to watch for, according to Vic, is if “you have a friend where everything good always happens to them.”
Psychopaths, she explains, are constantly manipulating situations to benefit themselves.
“They’re always getting what they want in one way or another, and sometimes you may not even see how they have a hand in what good things happen to them - but they always do," she said.
3. Trouble Maintaining Long-Term Friendships
People with psychopathy often struggle to keep friends for long.
Vic notes that if someone frequently cycles through friendships or doesn’t have any lasting relationships from their childhood, it’s a significant red flag.
“Psychopaths have trouble maintaining long-term relationships because their charm tends to drop off over time. People lose value to a psychopath over time, so they tend to drop people more,” Vic explains.
4. Jumping from Relationship to Relationship
If a friend is constantly in and out of romantic relationships, this could also be a sign.
“Psychopaths get bored easily, so they like to fill their time with people, but they can’t generate a true connection with the people they’re romantically linked to,” Vic says.
As a result, they tend to move quickly from one partner to the next.
5. They Know a Lot About You, But You Know Little About Them
Finally, Vic highlights that psychopaths tend to be secretive about their own lives while gathering information about others.
“You go to them when you need advice, but they’ll never ask you for advice,” she notes.
Psychopaths rarely share personal details or ask for help, preferring to keep their own issues hidden.
“They understand how other people can manipulate them based on what kind of information they have, so they’ll be very secretive about their life, or they’ll lie a lot,” Vic explains.
She concludes: “They’ll know everything about you and they’ll be able to solve all of your problems.”
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