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.
Well said Henry.
Beverly and Oxdrover,
I think the best thing I can do for justice, is to get what happened out of my mind. Justice is moving on with my thoughts. I suppose calming the mind will take time. It is especially hard when I have all these baby hormones swirling inside me. To tell you the truth, I don’t even know if watching their demise on television would really make me feel better if it really happened. But, it does make me feel better momentarily to fantasize about it. Fantasy is not justice. Justice, is truely not caring about it anymore. To chalk it up as a learning experience, and nothing more. That will be my justice. And it will happen soon. Or my name isn’t …………..
(((Bird)))))
You are so right, living well is the best revenge there is! And, yea, the baby hormones do carzzzzy things to us! Oh, how I remember!
The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference, truly not caring about them, or wondering about them, not even wishing them evil.
Anger is a normal part of our healing process, and it will come and go! It isn’t a rational thing, just a response to injury. As the pain of the injury goes away the anger will go with it as well.
Today has been one of my anger days, since I had to see the X-DIL yesterday and also deal with my mother projecting her lies on to me—but I went out this evening with a friend to a lively place (an auction) and had a good time, got a few bargains, and had fun. I feel better. It beat sitting here brooding. Plus, I’ve vented here and to my friend, so I am feeling much much better.
How much longer before B-day? Are you feeling like a whale yet? IS the baby letting you sleep? My little darlings would decide to dance about midnight and keep me up the rest of the night. LOL
Your baby is so special, the baby has so many aunties and uncles praying, and sending good thoughts your way that this is going to be the most magical baby in the entire universe. (((baby))))
Oh, I just realized that this will be a
BABY BIRD! LOL LOL ROTFLMAO
Thanks everyone for welcoming me, and the support, it really helps me, and makes me feel more positive.
today is sunday, and i’am so sad today. I just dont even know what to do. i just want to sit here all day and do nothing. sit in front of my tv all day. There are so many things i could do and i just dont want to. i feel like my life has been ripped from me, ive never had to question so many things and people in my life before. I dont trust anyone anymore but my family! this sociopath guy serioulsy took the another women around everyone i know and hang out with it. its so sick to me and disgusts me. there always was a story, everything was always drama. every lie had another story to it. I just dont even know where to begin starting to rebuild my life!
Dear Blondie,
Your depression over this, your “lack of ambition” to actually get up and DO anything, your wanting to just “zone out” and be out of pain is the very normal and natural thing when we have suffered what we perceive as a “loss”—and boy do the P’s give us a ***LOSS***of everything, including our self esteem.
THIS WILL PASS, but sometimes it needs to be “kick started”–there are thousands of ways that you can do this. One is to set little “goals”—things to do each day for YOU. It is okay to have pity parties, and sit around depressed PART OF THE TIME, but while you heal you have to keep breathing, keep eating, keep sleeping, keep bathing, keep washing the dishes, keep going to work, etc. For right now, while you are in such a blue funk, MAKE A LIST of what you HAVE TO DO and do those things ONLY. Just do the ones that are THE most important, and let the others slide for today. Then repeat tomorrow and add a couple of things. If necessary, set a timer, and you can “sit depressed” for X number of minutes and then you get up and do something on the list, repeat as necessary.
EACH DAY have something special to do for YOURSELF on the list–what ever rings YOUR chimes…a long hot bath, or get a foot massage, or call a friend you haven’t seen in a while. It will all come together, and unfortunately there is no way to make time speed up while we go through the pain and the grief of losing our “fantasy” person–it’s like we have just found out there IS NO SANTA CLAUS, NO TOOTH FAIRY, AND NO EASTER BUNNY, ALL ON THE SAME DAY! BUMMER, TOO! LOL
(((hugs)))) it will get better, I promise.
Your soooo right OxDrover, you took the words right out of my mouth. thanks so much for being there helping me though this!
DEar Blondie,
The up and down cycles of the healing process get us stuck sometimes, I sure “been there and dun that!” LOL The resulting depression we get from the “loss” sometimes makes us just SIT and not take action. That’s a normal part, just not one we want to stay in very long.
We go back and forth between depression( sadness) anger, bargaining (hoping there is something we can do to fix it) and denial (there’s really no problem at all) and eventually we get to the acceptance stage, healing. Google “grieving process” and you will get some good ideas. It doesn’t matter WHAT we are grieving, just a “loss” of anything importnat to us.
(((hugs))) IT WILL GET BETTER! I PROMISE!
I don’t think my P was bi-polar. I never saw him manic or depressed. In fact his lack of emotion was astonishing and at the time I thought he was so well balanced and unflappable – something that I am not. I remember an episode when his boss ( she was his long term lover but I did not know it at the time) screamed torrents of abuse at him . What struck me at the time was the level of rage inside her and that he showed absolutely no reaction whatsoever. He sat there impassively as if it were nothing to do with him. I could not understand then why he tolerated it. I do wonder now, if the OW was bi-polar. Her rages, even at clients was legendary and no-one liked or trusted her. Given that she conned many people herself, I think she could have been a P too but with bi-polar aswell.
In a P’s world I do also think that such conditions as bi-polar come in very handy when playing the pity routine. Some of them may genuinely have a condition like that but in many cases it is used as just another way of taking the blame off themselves. Just another way of manipulating our caring instincts.
Swallow