Dr. Liane Leedom and I spent last weekend, May 19-21, at the 4th Biennial Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy in Montreal, Canada.
Approximately 200 people were at the conference, including the biggest names in psychopathy research: Robert Hare, Paul Babiak, Paul J. Frick, Kent Kiehl, David Kosson, Joseph Newman, Christopher J. Patrick, and many, many more. Also in attendance were graduate students and researchers from all over the world—nine different countries were represented.
It was an opportunity to learn about the latest research going on in the field. A total of 46 researchers made 15-minute oral presentations of their work. An additional 91 groups of researchers presented their work on posters.
Dr. Leedom and I were among those presenting in poster form. We summarized the findings of the survey we did last year in response to the request for public feedback on the draft of the new American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5). (See Lovefraud’s comment about sociopaths for the DSM-5.)
I designed a poster, 6 feet long and 3 feet tall, which briefly described the survey, the findings, and the conclusions that we drew. The title of the poster: When Psychopaths Say “I Love You.” Dr. Leedom also presented another poster on Familial Attachments and Parenting Behavior of Psychopathic Individuals. Our posters were displayed right next to each other, and as people came around to look at them, we explained what we learned.
The reaction to our work was very positive. The majority of research in the field is done either on college students or prisoners. The information that Lovefraud readers provided about their relationships with disordered individuals is highly unusual, and very important. Thank you to everyone who participated.
I also designed a tri-fold brochure version of the poster information. If you’d like to take a look at what we presented, you can download a pdf of either the poster or the brochure. Don’t worry, the poster pdf will scale down to fit on your computer monitor. If you’d like a printed version of the brochure, just send an email with your mailing address to donna@lovefraud.com.
DSM – Very good article about the history and the context of change over time of the DSM and how it has affected mental health treatment and the reciprocal relationship between the changes and drug companies.
The writer, Ian Brown, is a well respected Cdn. journalist.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/conditions/addiction/mental-health/where-is-its-mind-what-the-battle-over-the-bible-says-about-psychiatry/article2091844/
WOW! ONE!!!! Thank you, Now I have a diagnosis for what’s wrong with me…….
QUOTE DSM-V:
Or there’s minor neurocognitive disorder, “evidence of minor cognitive decline from a previous level of” ”“ oh hell, what’s that word I’m looking for? ”“ “performance.”
LOL ROTFLMAO
Actually, I think we should go back to the way people who were “insane” were treated in the 1800s, chain them to a wall in the smoke house…we could do that with the Psychopaths who are “morally insane.” We could throw in crusts of bread every now and then.
yah, it’s a bit ridiculous. think we used to call minor cognitive decline ‘getting old’.
smokehouse! harumph, that’s what firearms are 4!
and if you try to throw them bread, i am going to steal it and give it to the birds!
Yea, the birds probably need it worse…..
One, James Black, ( the black smith that made the Bowie knife for Jim Bowie that died at the Alamo) spent his later years chained to a wall because he was “insane”—the Bowie knife was made in Old Washington, AR in southern AR. There is a state park there now and I have done living history demos there, neat place and neat history.
do you know his story? why he ended up ‘insane’?
I have read his biiography, pretty interesting actually….don’t remember all the details. I do remember he went blind toward the end of his life and spent most of the money he had on treatments for his eye problem (went back east for treatment that was a hoax I think) went back to Old Washington and lived there with some family, and became demented and they had to chain him up for his own safety. He was apparently a nice, educated man for his time and a good man, just became either senile or demented by something, who knows?
If a retarded or senile person was likely to get into things or hurt themselves, or wander off, it was not unusual in those times for them to be locked up or even chained up.
The blacksmith shop has been rebuilt in the park and there is a black smith there now demonstrating the kind of work he did. I have a “Bowie” type knife made by Damascus method (folding the metal over and welding it by heating and beating) made by a certified knife maker George Roth who was a friend of mine. I have another knife, smaller, that George also made for me. Both of mine have sterling silver hasps and hilts though and are works of art as much as anything…George was a sculptor and wood carver as well, and the big knife has a leaf-shaped hilt that George designed. To qualify as a master knife maker the person has to build a knife that can be bent 90 degrees without breaking. The small knife has a walrus tusk handle and the big one a burl walnut handle. They are one of a kind and very sentimental for me as well.
they sound really beautiful oxy.
I wonder if Bowie had syphilis?
BTW One, that was a great article about the DSM history…and the state of medicine and mental health is always going to be in flux, with changes in knowledge. I have several antique medical books since my family on my P-sperm donor’s side were all doctors except for him, but he had a sister and brother that were and one of my half sibs is a doc, and I have been interested in the history of medical treatment and pharmacology as well. I never wanted to be a doctor because of the brutal work schedule and lack of time for anything else even after medical school….that is changing somewhat now in medical practice and docs are working shorter work weeks, but still…wasn’t my desire to be a doc. Kind of wish now I had gone to vet school though. But maybe in another life time.