I'm a forensic psychiatrist and here are five common myths about clinical ... trends now
A forensic psychiatrist has debunked five myths many people believe when it comes to clinical psychopaths.
London-based Dr Sohom Das, has a YouTube channel called A Psych for Sore Minds, where he covers a range of mental health and crime-related topics, on top of his practice.
In a recent YouTube "video, he discussed psychopathy, first defining what it is, before then debunking five common myth around it.
According to Dr Das: 'As a forensic psychiatrist, I formally diagnose psychopaths on many occasions using the Hare psychopathy checklist - you've probably heard of that.
'I've treated and rehabilitated psychopaths in secure units.
'I can say firsthand that there are loads of myths and fallacies about what is a real actual factual, genuine psychopath clinically, and what isn't.'
Describing a psychopath, Dr Das said it is 'somebody who lacks empathy, is willing to do almost anything, potentially violence, but importantly, they're charming and they're persuasive and they're parasitic...[which] means they manipulate other people around them to get what they want'.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr Sohom Das (pictured) recently shared 5 myths about psychopaths in a YouTube video
Myth one: All psychopaths are violent criminals
According to Dr Das, myth number one is that all psychopaths are violent criminals - but, he said, that is not the case.
'Psychopathy is a personality, it's not a synonym for violence,' he added.
'And whereas some psychopaths might be criminals, many are not, because they're able to control their impulses, or they find nonviolent ways to achieve their goals.'
However, he noted, there is an increased risk, and 'people with psychopathy are about twice as likely to engage in violent crime compared to the general population'.
In addition, he said: 'Also, a psychopath will only be violent if it's convenient and there's a purpose for for them to be violent.
'Think about if you had a drug dealer who's a psychopath, versus a CEO who's a psychopath, the drug dealer's violence is instrumental...whereas if you're a CEO psychopath...slapping your CFO for messing up the quarterly returns might not work in your favour, it might get you into trouble.'
Myth two: Psychopaths lack emotion
According to Dr Das, many people believe all psychopaths are violent criminals and that they lack all emotions - but this is not true (stock image)
Dr Das' second myth about psychopaths is that they that lack emotion.
He explained: 'Psychopaths can experience emotions, but they often have trouble understanding that emotion, what it means to them, where it's coming from, and also responding to that emotion.
'So overall, research suggests that psychopaths have a blunted emotional response, but they still experience emotions like anger, excitement, or joy, but they tend to be a less intense experience.'
However, he noted, there are
