How to recognize and recover from everyday sociopaths - narcissists

16-year-old Philip Chism, accused of murder, to get mental health evaluation

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Philip Chism, of Danvers, Mass., was 14 years old when he allegedly raped and murdered his math teacher, Colleen Ritzer. Jury selection was supposed to begin in the trial. But Chism refused to enter the courtroom, banging his head against the floor and saying he was hearing voices, according to CBS News. The judge ordered a mental evaluation. Prosecutors, however, believe Chism is faking it to avoid trial. Teen charged with killing Danvers teacher to undergo evaluation, on Boston.CBSlocal.com. Chilling interview with alleged teen killer, rapist, told cops 'I became the teacher' after cold-blooded murder, on NYDailyNews.com.   …

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Checklist: Is your partner a sociopath?

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  Almost every day, I receive email from people who have discovered Lovefraud and have a burning question to ask me: "Am I involved with a sociopath?" I've heard this question so many times that I've finally created a quick and easy way to help answer it Lovefraud's "Is your partner a sociopath?" checklist. The 29 items on the checklist are drawn from the Lovefraud Romantic Partner Survey, which was completed by more than 1,300 respondents in 2012. It identifies the behaviors that people who were in relationships with sociopaths experienced and witnessed, time and time again. These are the same behaviors I continue to hear about from hundreds of readers. So if you are wondering …

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Silly science: Researchers say liking bitter foods is linked to antisocial personality traits

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Every day, my breakfast is topped with curry powder, which contains turmeric, which is bitter. I must have my coffee in the morning. For lunch I usually eat a salad containing arugula and radishes. I love using fresh herbs from my garden, such as parsley, basil and cilantro. And I'd love to eat dark chocolate every day, but I resist that. All of the foods I mentioned are bitter, so I must be a sociopath. Researchers from the University of Innsbruck in Austria say that they've found an association between people who say they like bitter foods and antisocial personality traits. According to reports on Science Direct and Medical Daily, almost 1,000 people all Americans were handed long lists …

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7 reasons loving a cheater can be a gift

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Realizing that you're involved with a sociopath is heartbreaking, devastating, earth-shattering. But, as bad as it is, good can come out of the experience. You can gain a better understanding of the world and the people in it. You can gain a better understanding of yourself. And, if you commit yourself to recovery, you can come out the other side healthier than ever, with an opportunity for true happiness. I've written about this quite a bit here on Lovefraud. In my second of two articles for YourTango, I've expressed this view to a wider audience. You can read it by clicking the link below. 7 reasons loving a cheater is the best gift you'll ever give yourself, on YourTango.com. BTW I …

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10 Signs you’re addicted to loving a cheater

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Here on Lovefraud, we often say that the incredibly strong feelings you have for someone you know is a sociopath are not really love, but addiction. How can you know? And how does this happen? Donna Andersen has just contributed an article to YourTango.com, a website dedicated to love and relationships, that answers the questions. Here are some of the signs: 1. You confront him about the calls on his phone from other women. He comes up with excuses, and you know they are lame, but you accept them anyway. 2. He says it's your fault that he cheated on you, and you agree with him. 3. You keep telling yourself that if you could just be more loving, patient, sexy, etc., he would make you his …

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Woman snagged in romance scam ends up arrested

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Audrey Elaine Elrod, of Bluefield, West Virginia, fell in love with a man who sent her a Facebook message. Soon he was asking her for money. Then he asked her collect money he sent her and forward it to Nigeria. She was so in love that she didn't recognize the scam. In this in-depth article, Wired Magazine reveals the inner workings of the romance scam business along with the sad ending to Audrey's story. Online dating made this woman a pawn in a global crime plot, on Wired.com. Link supplied by two Lovefraud readers.   …

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Games psychopaths play – flaunting other women (and men)

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  At 11 p.m. on a Saturday night, wearing new lingerie from Victoria's Secret, I awaited the arrival of my fiancé, James Montgomery. He'd been out of the country on a secret military mission (so he told me). But he could escape his duties for a short time, so he was driving more than 1,000 miles, from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, to my home in New Jersey, to meet me for a passionate rendezvous. He arrived in a vehicle I'd never seen before a black Grand Prix. "Whose car is this?" I asked. "It belongs to one of my mates from MacDill," Montgomery told me. "He needed the car brought up north, and I needed to get home. It worked out well." I believed his explanation at …

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Therapy Satisfaction Survey: Did you seek counseling because of a difficult relationship? How did it go?

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If you've found your way to Lovefraud, most likely it's because you experienced an abusive or destructive relationship. Did you also seek professional counseling? If so, Lovefraud wants to know about your experience. We are collecting data for a scientific research paper about the experiences of people who seek therapy in the context of an abusive relationship. Your relationship could have been with anybody: Partner Parent Sibling Boss Other The survey will ask you questions like: What aspects of the therapy were helpful or not helpful? Did you engage in couples or joint counseling? How satisfied were you with the services you received? It has multiple-choice questions and some questions …

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Q&A with Carol Mooney, a wellness counselor

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  What experience have you had dealing with sociopaths or other disordered personalities—personally, professionally, or both? I worked for many years as a counselor in the criminal justice system with high-risk individuals involved in criminal offending, drugs and alcohol, volatile behaviors, chronic unemployment, very low education levels, mental health disorders and personality disorders (predominantly antisocial personality disorder), as well as a crisis counselor through the Mental Health Mental Retardation Department. In addition, I speak from the inside out from personal experience with a relationship with a dangerous, toxic lethal individual. I know the pain, betrayal …

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Overt and covert narcissists

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According to an article by Scott Barry Kaufman on the Scientific American Blog, there are two types of narcissists: "While the 'overt' narcissists tended to be aggressive, self-aggrandizing, exploitative, and have extreme delusions of grandeur and a need for attention," he writes, "'covert' narcissists were more prone to feelings of neglect or belittlement, hypersensitivity, anxiety, and delusions of persecution." Researchers have developed the Maladaptive Covert Narcissism Scale. It has 23 statements, and people are supposed to rate the degree to which the statements describe them. Kaufman includes the scale in this article does it apply to anyone you know? 23 signs you're secretly a …

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