A woman who claims she’s been diagnosed as a psychopath has detailed the telltale signs of the personality disorder she exhibited as a child.
A young woman, who posts under the handle @victhepath, has given insight into the fascinating – and somewhat terrifying – mental condition that affects approximately 1 per cent of males and between 0.3 to 0.7 per cent of females, according to Psychology Today.
In Australia, and in other western nations, doctors don’t officially diagnose people as psychopaths.
Instead, the term anti-social personality disorder (ASPD) is used, with those diagnosed often displaying certain behaviours associated with psychopathy.
These include a lack of emotional sensitivity and empathy, impulsiveness, superficial charm and insensitivity to punishing consequences.
Scientists have also found a link between those who display psychopathic tendencies with an increased interest in violent and disturbing content.
In Vic’s case, she reckons her “extremely morbid” interests as a child were a key sign of her mental state, revealing she developed dark interests at just 8 years old.
“I was really into the Holocaust when I was a kid, not really World War II as a whole, but specifically the Holocaust,” she explained in a video which has been viewed over 5 million times.
“When I was in the third grade we had a book fair at school and I remember seeing this little black book called The Holocaust and being really intrigued by it.
“After that, I was so fascinated by the subject. Even when I was in eighth grade I went on a DC trip and opted to go to the Holocaust Museum over the Smithsonian.”
Melbourne psychologist Carly Dober told news.com.au “children can be very interested and curious about morbid topics or images due to their natural curiosity about the world”, stressing it doesn’t mean they have a mental health issue.
“It is very normal for children to be interested in things like death, the process of dying, and some atrocities that have occurred in history and while it is absolutely normal for kids to be super into dead things they might be a point though where parents might wish to seek professional help,” she said.
“If a topic or interest is interfering with the health, life, or normal routines then that would be a concern.
“This doesn’t necessarily mean there is anything to be concerned about.”
Ms Dober, who works at Melbourne’s Enriching Lives Psychology clinic, added: “Children cannot be diagnosed as psychopaths. They may have callous and unemotional traits when they are under 18, but they can be diagnosed with having conduct disorder.
“Conduct disorder is a clinically diagnosable behavioural disorder in which a child or young person demonstrates a persistent pattern of breaking behavioural norms.
“It is a highly complex condition and early intervention is key when we consider reducing the risk of lifetime impacts.
“While not all children with conduct disorder will grow up to be diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder, all adults with anti-social personality disorder firstly show signs of psychopathy during childhood.”
Vic, who said she was diagnosed with “one of the most dangerous ASPD’s” after engaging in a string of “risky” acts, said her second special interest was Grimm fairy tales.
The collection of stories, written by the German Grimm brothers Jacob and Wilhelm, contain some of the most recognisable fairytales in the world – but original versions often featured disturbing twists that have since been edited out.
“It might not be a shock after my first admission… but I had a massive book with all the original fairy tales in it,” she said.
“They are extremely morbid, they’re not very PG like the fairy tales we read now.
“I used to read it all the time.”
She also revealed her other interests as a child were the Romanov family, who were all murdered by Bolshevik soldiers in 1917, Greek mythology and the Labrythin.
“The Hunger Games is slightly based on the Labrythin, the idea of putting kids in the arena until they die,” she said.
“The last special interest is the Aztec and Mayan Empires. I was really really intrigued by the whole human sacrifice thing.”
It’s not the first video Vic has done detailing the unusual symptoms she has as a result of being a psychopath.
The young American previously revealed she “can’t feel fear” and said she struggles to maintain a long-term relationship.
“I’m really shallow with who I’m attracted to, I like guys to be way hotter than me,” she said.
Recent studies have suggested that as many as 1 in 22 people could be psychopaths. A psychological assessment tool, once known as the Hare Psychopathy Checklist, is commonly used to help assess the presence and extent of psychopathy in individuals.
But it is important to note, individuals may show elevated levels of multiple traits associated with psychopathy without qualifying as a psychopath according to a measure such as the Hare checklist.