The brains of psychopaths are different. What does that mean for laws, crime, sentencing and treatment?
Read Psychopaths: Born evil or with a diseased brain? on BBC.co.uk.
Link supplied by a Lovefraud reader.
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How to recognize and recover from everyday sociopaths - narcissists
I wonder what the researchers would think of this case:
With obscene gestures, Ohio man who fatally shot 3 sleeping sons in 1982 is executed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/with-obscene-gestures-ohio-man-who-fatally-shot-3-sleeping-sons-in-1982-is-executed/2011/11/16/gIQAtaZHQN_story.html
I talked to Dr. Keihl a while back about his research and conclusions. He was the o ne who told me that the AVERAGE score of all prisoners on the PCL-R is 22, that means half score higher than that and half score lower. Of course we know that about 25% score 30 or higher. When you realize that there are 2 MILLION people in the US right this minute in prison, that means that 500,000 of them score 30 or more on the PCLR and one MILLION of them score 22 or above on the PCL-R–which isn’t enough for a researcher to call them a “psychopath” but they are DEFINITELY BAD BOYS/GIRLs and if you keep- in mind that there are another 5 MILLION people on probation or parole, there are a large number of people in this country who would score fairly HIGH in the traits of disorders.
Dugan is of course one of the WORST OF THE WORST in terms of violence and lack of empathy. But he is NOT alone in his almost total lack of empathy or impulse control. There are many others just like him out in the world, both inside and out of prison.
I think there is a good bit of psychopathy that is hard wired, genetic, pre-programmed by both genetics and environment, but there are LEVELS OF IT from People like Dugan on down to the person who will eat the last piece of cake knowing you’ve not had any. Where do we draw the line in locking these people up for the “good of society” before they commit crimes? Where do we draw the line on commission of crimes and not allow a person a chance to redeem themselves?
Society has been plagued with these same questions forever. I’m not sure we will ever truly find an answer.
LOL……the ‘funny’ thing IS……who got the last word here……HE’s THE DEAD GUY NOW…..Right back atcha executed-dead guy- murderer-nonono……Fark YOU!!!!
Donna, I think this man is on the level with Dugan, maybe worse, because he did what he did–planned it in advance–to hurt his wife by hurting her kids, that malice-a-fore-thought makes him much more dangerous and “evil” than Dugan who just didn’t “get it” that what he had done was “not okay.”
The giving the finger to the wife and to the world speaks volumes, and while I am in general no longer in favor of the death penalty, in this case I guess it was called for with no doubt at all that he was the one who did it.
Donna, Oxy – please correct me if I am wrong on this…
I take issue with Dr. Keihl and his idea that N/P/S people need treatment and that treatment can alter their behavior.
He states that Dugan’s suffering began young – but I would posit that Dugan is not truly capable of suffering. The monsters among us often (from what i have experienced/observed and noted from postings here) approach situations in which they are harming others – whether through direct physical violence or indirect behavior and words – almost as scientific observers. So I remember my N/P/S ex explaining how he was going to offer a spare room in his house to a guy he knew that was an alcoholic and in need of a place to stay – and he was going to get him to do a lot of essentially “slave” labor. When I protested that this was not a good idea he tried to appease me with an offer to send the guy to do work at my house too. UGH… And I also remember him saying and doing things so he could watch what other people’s reactions were – he would do this with his elderly mother and make fun of her behind her back often – and I know he did the same with me. I never saw him SUFFER – unless it was a narcissistic injury… But emotional loss, not really – usually it was feigned or done for manipulative purposes.
Therefore I find the idea of treatment a bit ludicrous unless you plan to develop some sort of brain surgery or treatment that enhances the weak areas and I am doubtful such a thing is possible – and it is fraught with danger as muddling with their brains may make them even more dangerous.
I find it rather narcissistic of the doctor that he thinks he can cure this. To prove he has “cured” the problem he will have to release back into the general population people that are very dangerous – further risking the lives of innocents – that would take great hubris and I am sure the doctor has no end of it.
I don’t know why but this whole idea and his approach of having sympathy for predators bothers me tremendously.
Dr. Khiel’s work is important, and that it makes psychiatrists argue that it’s a part of the psychopath’s brain that disables him from being a normal human being who empathizes, but I also raise several eyebrows on statements like these:
“Brian suffered at a very early age,” says Dr Kiehl. “He did classic things: he set fires, he hurt animals, he injured his brothers and sisters.”
Brian suffered at a very early age?!?! Sounds to me like the animals, brothers and sisters suffered!
I agree it would be great if they can find a therapy with children to develop their emotional processing brain.
“In essence, these children have to be painstakingly taught reactions which the rest of us have automatically.”
But that sounds like teaching children to mask. I have news for Dr. Kiehl, but psychopaths can mask and behave and respond properly when it’s to their advantage! They don’t need psychiatrists to teach them that as children.
Anyway, it does not sound like the therapy that would cure psychopathy, and if the doctors agree that the brain is so undeveloped on the emotional processing, and have no better solution than masking instead of actually developing that part of the brain, then I see their findings as an argument to change the law in so much that they separate the adult psychopaths from society and study them and try out all kinds of therapies to their heart’s content until they do find an ACTUAL treatment
EXACTLY darwinsmom! Exactly! Yes yes yes!!!!
Breckgirl, seems like we cross-posted, and we have the same issues with Dr. Khiel’s opinions and statements
LOL again 🙂
Breckgirl – I thought Dr. Kiehl was nuts too, at first. But the article does specify that he is thinking of treatment for children who are exhibiting preliminary symptoms of the disorder.
This may be possible – at least we hope so, for all the parents who discover, to their dismay, that they’ve had a child with a sociopath. Dr. Leedom explains that the brain is not carved in stone, especially at a young age. So, if you start young enough, you may be able to compensate for the structural differences in the brain.
By the time a psychopath is an adult, not much can be done.
Dr. Kiehl could have more on this topic that the author of the article did not include.