The child psychopathy It is shown in children who lack empathy and remorse, are self-centered, have limited affectivity, are insincere, and display superficial charm. Psychopathy is one of the mental disorders that has the most devastating consequences in the person who suffers it and especially in their environment. In addition, as we will see later, it is one of the most difficult disorders to treat..
Although there are not many studies of child and adolescent psychopathy, the disorder has been shown to begin in childhood. Some studies even indicate that the presence of psychopathy in childhood and adolescence is a variable that can predict criminal behavior in adulthood..
Already in 1976 Cleckley defined the psychopathic personality with a series of key characteristics: superficial charm, absence of nervousness, insincerity, antisocial behavior, limited affectivity, indifference towards personal relationships, inability to follow a coherent life plan, among others.
On the other hand, the researchers agree that when referring to children and adolescents, they speak of psychopathic traits and not psychopathy itself, because some of these children when they become adults do not develop the disorder.
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Robert Hale, one of the leading experts in this field, describes psychopaths as predators of their own kind. It also distinguishes these individuals by characteristic symptoms in the affective, interpersonal and behavioral fields:
They are characterized by having superficial and rapidly changing emotions. They lack empathy and show an inability to maintain lasting ties with other people.
They are arrogant, self-centered, manipulative, domineering, and energetic.
They are irresponsible and impulsive. They seek new and strong sensations and violate social norms on a regular basis. They also tend to lead a socially unstable lifestyle..
Other features that appear in children and adolescents with psychopathy are:
Other studies on this subject have shown that adolescents with psychopathic features have developed other pathologies in childhood, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder in childhood or conduct disorder..
It is important to make a proper diagnosis and distinguish between a normal adolescent or child and one with the disorder..
Children and adolescents may have a series of typical characteristics of this period, such as a lack of empathy, the transgression of norms, or risky behaviors such as substance use..
Some authors such as Seagrave and Grisso indicate that many of the psychotic characteristics that appear in adolescence are the normal aspects of this stage of development..
However, there are other authors who, even agreeing with the previous statement, consider that many of the symptoms of psychopathy in children and adolescents are something more than normal manifestations at this stage of development.
According to some authors, a particularly distinctive feature in these children is that they are considered as not very fearful and the effects of socialization are practically nil as they do not experience guilt or learn from punishment.
Parents teach the child when and how to experience emotions such as pride, shame, respect or guilt, using punishment when they act badly. In these children it is not easy to instill the feeling of guilt because they have not developed it.
They do not feel anxiety or fear when they are going to break a rule, or fear of retaliation from parents or other authority figures. This greatly hinders normalized socialization..
Within this group of children and adolescents with such varied features, it is necessary to pay special attention to those who, in addition to having antisocial behavior and constant defiance of the norm and authority, are cold, manipulative individuals with difficulty experiencing emotions.
These personality traits coupled with the lack of internalization of the norm make these children and adolescents especially difficult to deal with..
There are numerous studies on the causes that lead to developing this psychiatric disorder. Research in this field continues because a clear determinant for its development has not been found. Rather, it seems the result of the influence of several factors.
Numerous investigations have been conducted with families, with twins, or adopted children. The results show that genes may be responsible for some individuals being vulnerable to developing this type of disorder.
But no single gene is responsible for the disorder. It is about multiple genes that combine to generate that vulnerability. And on the other hand, the risk of suffering from the disorder could vary depending on the number of genes that an individual shares with someone who suffers from the disease..
Some studies indicate that brain damage or dysfunction may be influential in developing the disorder. On the other hand, there seems to be a lack of connection between the amygdala (responsible for regulating emotions) and the prefrontal cortex in these subjects..
Research has also been carried out on the influence that neurotransmitters such as dopamine or serotonin can have.
The predominant theory in this field is the so-called vulnerability-stress model. Its basic assumption is that for the disorder to develop, the existence of a vulnerability is necessary, which can be activated by various stressors that precipitate the appearance of the disorder..
Regarding the treatment of this disorder, it has not yet been shown that there is a type of intervention that is successful with these individuals. Studies in this context are also pessimistic and some authors such as Harris and Rice even conclude that in some cases the treatment is not only not effective but can also be counterproductive..
The main problems when carrying out an intervention are, on the one hand, the limitations presented by the studies that have been carried out in this regard, and on the other, the characteristics of these individuals that make the treatment ineffective.
These characteristics include the impossibility of creating a link between the therapist and the patient; they do not feel the need to change, there is no sincere communication and they make emotional work impossible.
Lösel has summarized a series of principles that should guide the intervention with these subjects, taking into account the study of the treatments applied up to that moment that prove to be the most effective. As he concludes, treatment programs should have these foundations:
Although today there is no program that has been shown to be effective in the treatment of children, adolescents and adults with this pathology, studies and research are still being carried out aimed at finding it.
Kochanska has already highlighted the importance of evaluating children's temperaments because those with little fearful personality characteristics will have difficulties developing emotions such as guilt or empathy.
Likewise, it is recorded that interventions with children and adolescents have to be mainly aimed at controlling antisocial impulses with a strict and orderly treatment to comply with the rules and habits.
In short, to date it has not been concluded what type of intervention is appropriate for a person with these characteristics. It is necessary to know more about the causes and processes involved in its development in order to provide a joint treatment from pharmacology and psychology.
The first step for parents who suspect that their child may have this disorder is to be aware of it. Many times out of fear or fear of what they will say, they try to hide the problem but that will not help to find a solution or the possible improvement of the symptoms.
Given the complexity of the disorder, it is essential to go to a professional expert in this matter, who can guide and advise on the appropriate treatment. In addition, it will be able to provide parents with the behavioral and educational guidelines that are necessary to treat these children and adolescents..
Knowing the possible causes of the disorder or how it works can help parents better understand and accept the process that their child goes through.
Although in many cases this is a response that seems uncontrollable, in no case is it beneficial for the treatment of these children.
It is about promoting adaptive social habits and behaviors, getting them to respect certain rules and placing special emphasis on explaining and demonstrating that this appropriate behavior has positive repercussions mainly on themselves..
It is very important that parents dealing with this disorder can have a support network with which to share their concerns or seek support when necessary..
This network can be made up of family members, friends and even mutual help groups made up of more parents in the same situation where they can share their concerns.
It is important to bear in mind that the child or adolescent with this disorder will only look after their own interests and needs. It is more advisable in these cases to reach agreements with him than to confront and discuss his beliefs and / or behaviors.
It is advisable for parents to be firm and sure of themselves before the child or adolescent and show the least possible points of weakness before him to avoid manipulation.
In many cases this situation can overwhelm the parents and abandon all hope of improvement. It can even lead them to make decisions or perform behaviors that are harmful to themselves, such as substance or medication abuse to cope. This in no case helps the child's improvement, but rather significantly worsens the family situation.
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