The subject of the overlap between bipolar disorder and sociopathy is important to me personally and professionally. One of the reasons I did not understand my husband was that I saw him as a “bit on the manic side.” In some of the letters he sent me from prison, he declared himself to be “bipolar” rather than psychopathic/sociopathic. My experience is not unique, in our survey of Women Who Love Psychopaths, Sandra L. Brown, M.A. and I asked about manic symptoms in male partners. Over half of the women attested to the presence of these symptoms in their men.
I first wrote about the connection between bipolar disorder and sociopathy in March, 2007. For more background please read ASK Dr. LEEDOM: What is the difference between bipolar disorder and sociopathy?
There is a link between bipolar disorder and sociopathy that has been explored in a very important recent study. Two researchers from the University of Toronto, Dr. Benjamin Goldstein and Dr. Anthony Levitt looked at data from more than 1000 patients with bipolar disorder ((Am J Psychiatry 2006; 163:1633—1636). They divided them into three groups, childhood onset (prior to 13), adolescent onset and adult onset. They then looked at the prevalence of sociopathy in the three groups. Bipolar disorder was associated with sociopathy in 37 percent of childhood onset cases, 30 percent of adolescent onset cases and 16 percent of adult onset cases. It should be noted that these percentages are all much higher than the estimated prevalence of sociopathy in the general population (4%). I did find research from another group in Britain essentially verifying these results.
The above results suggest that the manic mood problems that are associated with bipolar disorder interfere with personality development. The earlier the manic mood problems start, the more personality is affected. I have had the privilege of teaching child adolescent and adult development many times now. It is well established that our personalities do not stop developing at 18 that is why mood problems at any age can affect personality.
Why would a manic mood be associated with the development of sociopathy? Next week I will explore this notion further reporting on a study of fearless temperament in children. This week though I would like to point out that when many people are manic, they become preoccupied with power and dominance. It is very common for manic patients to believe they are some powerful political or religious leader. One group of animal researchers has put together some convincing arguments that dominance in rats can be used as an animal model to test medications for mania. So mania and dominance motivation have the same biologic correlates.
Although a sense of wanting to accomplish tasks and become independent are important for adults and children, excessive dominance can impair a person’s ability to love. Since children are in the process of learning to love, a preoccupation with dominance can poison all their social interactions. A dominant child that frequently misbehaves becomes a target for discipline by all the adults in his/her life. Although discipline may be necessary, excessive discipline prevents the child from enjoying loving interactions with his parents and teachers. If a child does not learn to enjoy love, he/she will likely not incorporate loving behaviors into his/her personality. Without loving behaviors there is nothing to prevent exploitation of others.
All of this leads me to say that temperamentally and genetically at risk children need specialized focused, loving parenting. At risk children include the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder, sociopathy/psychopathy, addiction, alcoholism and ADHD. If you are a parent of an at risk child, I encourage you to visit Parenting the at-risk child and consider joining the new Forum. This Forum is operated by the Aftermath group, which is a joint collaboration between victims and researchers. I would like to see parents supporting each other through the very difficult task of preventing sociopathy in at risk kids. Although many children will develop disordered in spite of the best parenting and professional help available, there is much indirect evidence that parenting can make a difference for some. More on genetics and temperament next week.
ADDENDUM: The afternoon after I wrote this news organizations broke the story of Peter Dawson who was sentensed to prison for a scheme that defrauded seniors out of their life savings. Dawson is quoted as to saying he has “bipolar disorder.” District Attorney Kathleen Rice stated “Mr. Dawson preyed on his clients, many of them elderly, in order to line his own pockets, and he abused his position of trust to satisfy his own lifestyle,” -Mr. Dawson may have bipolar disorder but he is also described as a predator by Ms. Rice.
Ox D
If only we had spotted this earlier, we could have saved you some heartache.. check the Google ads at the top of the page on left hand side…a Virus and Trojan remover! I wonder if they have any S remover 🙂
S as in scum?
Thank you, Dr. Leedom. I appreciate knowing this information. Especially since I’m helping my sister parent her bipolar son.
“Bipolar disorder was associated with sociopathy in 37 percent of childhood onset cases…”
Frightening statistics, but they align with our psychotherapist’s concern about steering this young man in the ‘right’ direction. So far, we ARE making a difference which should offer hope to women (or men) who partnered with sociopaths. There’s a lot we can do, including medication for bipolar children.
The idea is that if bipolar children can avoid a full-blown mania, they’ll be less resistent to medication. And hopefully, we can get him through the teen years before he self-medicates with street drugs.
It’s been a long process and parents need to realize that there are no quick and easy answers for childhood onset bipolar. The psychiatrist spent two years before diagnosing bipolar and my nephew now recieves weekly therapy, along with constant regulation of his medications.
I think it’s very important to FACE reality by putting our child’s best welfare ahead of our discomfort. It’s not easy…but then again, nothing worth doing ever is.
CZBZ
No, Henry, I was thinking of S as in sociopath 🙂 but you made me consider something.
Could I call someone scum? I don’t, as a habit, call people names. Could I feel justified doing it? Animal abusers, child abusers, anyone taking advantage of someone innocent and vulnerable would easily qualify as scum and I would fiercely defend my characterization of them that way.
It wasn’t until I listed those abusers in this response to you that I realized that, if I had to, I could call the S with whom I was involved a scum. I still hesitate, though and I can’t figure out why. He’s just as guilty of abuse as the ones I listed.
Why can I call the other abusers scum, but not him? Very strange. I’m going to have to work on this one. It feels like there might be something I need to work on.
Thank you, Henry!
Interesting discussion. While there are many sociopaths who are bipolar there are also many sensitive people who act in a sociopathic manner when manic. As the father of such a person I have had the opportunity to watch my ordinarily conscientious son go though a period of transition as follows: At first, there is excitement, new insights, disregard for meds, supplements and sleep. Then he slowly becomes omnipotent and controlling. At this point he doesn’t hear what anyone says and is unaware of how his behavior is inappropriate. He is showing classical sociopathic behavior. The entire world revolves around his needs. Later he becomes delusional. As his psychosis worsens, his object relations become more impaired and there are no boundaries. At this point his ability to perceive relationships is so impaired that his machinations are no longer sociopathic in nature, but bizarre and illogical. The reverse sequence occurs as he comes out of the psychosis. During one hospitalization, he was delusionally psychotic, yet after two days on antibiotics for an MRConS biofilm in his nasal passages, he started to come out of it, just enough to surprise his care gives with normal friendly conversation, then to then to tear out his IV lines.
I believe that inflammation and other biological processes progressively impair brain functioning. As I suggest in my book, when Andrea Yates drowned her five children, it wasn’t sociopathy but brain impairment at work.
Davie Moyer
http://www.bipolarodyssey.com
I too wonder about the different between sociopath and bi-polar. Having read on the subject (being/living with bi-polar) I saw some behavior in her that could be viewed as “acting manic depression”. She did display some characteristics of being bi-polar but not to the extent that I believe she is. Also, bi-polar do show emotions. Her lack of any affection with even her own children was and always will be a great concern for me. This lack of empathy on her part was always constant and a part of her personality. Her shallow emotions with concern for her own children left me “cold”. None of this explains bi-polar behavior in her. In fact she knew about this behavior i.e. chemical imbalance. Having a friend (one of a very few) who suffers from being bi-polar. But she herself never expressed any concern that she herself might be bi-polar as well. When all this (and before) started with her leaving her children and again expressing no concern as to how they might “feel” about her leaving the state of Illinois and not even trying to call them (another then calling ME to get what property, she felt was her) to comfort them. I mean to “try” to explain to both of our boys as to why she “just left” and then to add salt to injury also lies about were she would be living. Having my oldest son happy that she was (still is today) gone and leaving my other one in tears….. This doesn’t explain anything with being bi-polar. Her actions just showed me over and over again that she just didn’t care about anyone but herself…….
If she is bi-polar, fine! But she still needs to address the issue(s) about her personality disorder and in God name show some passion when in comes to children’s needs. Being a parent and now a single parent this p-o’s me the most!!!! How can any parent bi-polar or not, just leave her children without a care in the world about their feeling is something that I struggle with each day! I will never, never understand this!!!!!!!
Just a little information about me during this upcoming month (July). Both of my sons were born in July. And guess who else was born in July? You only get one guess…
Anyway, July is both a joy and a scary time for me. Because for the last two years this was the only time she made any attempted to contact them via birthday cards. May I also add without any explanation as to why she does what she does! Just a card with I love you, Love you please call me! (sic) God, last time my oldest torn his up before I could even read it!!! These cards just hurt them again and remind them of what she is and/or what she isn’t! What she did and also gives them no closure! This year she has no information as to were we live. No phone numbers to call and I pray to God no contact (NC) will be fore coming. We want only to enjoy this 4th of July, unlike the previous other two past July 4th of July. I am vet and a America that loves his country, God does she had to spoil that for me as well!!!!
Wish us Luck!!!!
And Happy 4th of July Americans!!!!
I have seen bi-polar from a distance, my psycho never got to that psychotic state never…there wasn’t that distraught mess I have seen on the street…nope…cool as a cucumber. Yes, they rage…but sanely. OJ reminds me of a psycho – Area Yates seems more plausible as bi-polar-
With Different mental illnesses and personality disorders, having one doesn’t mean you can’t have another as well. While many bi-polar people are WELL ADJUSTED on medications and are NOT in any way personality disordered, some of the behaviors that personality disordered people may very well happen when they are MANIC, and never when they are on the appropriate and proper doses.
But, if the person is not appropriately diagnosed (and bi-polar is one of those that is difficult to “easily”diagnose as they generally don’t seek treatment in a manic phase, only in a depressed state) Many bi-polar patients seem to actually like the manic phases and get “high” on them. In working with bi-polar patients is seemed difficult to me to motivate them to come in when they felt a manic episode coming on, so it was an up and down, up and down, pattern, seeing the patients only when they were willing to cooperate when they were in a severe depression and “all hell had broken loose.”
What is also sad is that these uncontrolled bi-polar and/or psychopathic teeangers and young adults are the very ones producing children that they are not prepared to parent, so the children of these people get the double whammy, in both genetics and poor parenting. The lucky ones will have one parent at least that is not either bi-polar uncontrolled and/or psychopathic.
Society’s attempts through child services of different kinds is fighting an uphill battle in trying to help these children and/or their parents. With readily available street drugs to self-medicate with, it is a scary situation to me. I’ve worked in the community mental health facilities and in in-patient mental health facilities, and with drug and alcohol abuse, and the rates of “success” long term is dismal at best. I wish I had an answer. I can’t fix the world. I not only don’t know the answers I don’t even know all the questions.
My focus at this point in my life has to be on fixing my wounds from dealing with the predators in my life, and getting my own life back on track.
James, I applaud you for parenting your sons, and weep for you for the havoc and pain that your x has dealt out to your children. God bless you and then. I hope that you can get some counseling for both your boys’ wounds and that she will stay away from them. Good luck to you all.
Eyesopened, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, lays eggs like a duck, call it a duck.
The unbalance between displaying deeply loving behavior, to indifferent absence, to rage for little apparent reason was what pointed me toward bipolar disorder in the beginning. That and because I didn’t make a connection to Ted Bundy-like behavior. But once I read about sociopathic behavior and also uncovered the secret life behind the man, only then did it all make sense.
There wasn’t depression and no episodes. It is his way of life. It was all an intent to manipulate and control, including the rages, me and everyone else he touches. Even our discussions about bipolar behavior was simple manipulation. The man enjoyed watching the confusion and misery he inflicted, he enjoyed the excitement of his never ending and ego-feeding game with women, his family, and with the public at large in convincing everyone of his fantasy existence. He is usually very good at what he does. His scams started in adolescence and matured as he did, resulting in an adult theft conviction from a business “deal” gone wrong several years ago and now a pending fraud charge, again attempting to get something for nothing under another “righteous” cover.
He didn’t admit fault, apologize, or take responsibility for his behavior, and he didn’t display regret without it being a means to an end. Obvious to me now, he has no conscience as much as he attempts to convince otherwise. He loves his false religious platform, public “justice” and litigation, and vengeance.
I am no longer concerned with him or even a correct diagnosis, but I am concerned about his young son who also displays questionable behavior, knowing there is little I can do. Holywatersalt, I considered sending a book, and thank you for your suggestion. But so far I’ve decided against it because of the unlikely possibility it would be considered, against the almost certainty of another incident of retaliation. I learned I must pick my battles very carefully. And thank you too Bird, I think walking away is my only option, though I don’t do it lightly.
It is the mother and custodial parent, though the information was passed to me by the pathological lying father, who promotes the child as gifted. I don’t believe the adult daughter would investigate or accept sociopathy much less stand up to her father, and I can understand both.
This whole situation sucks, and the cycle is in danger of repeating.