Last Victory Day, an Omsk pensioner killed her roommate by stabbing him in the throat with a kitchen knife. Before this, the couple had not quarreled, at least the neighbors did not record disturbances in the calm. What’s even more interesting is that it turned out that this same old woman killed her previous partner with a knife seven years ago, also on Victory Day. Hence the question: could the deceased 72-year-old man have recognized a monster and murderer in his girlfriend in advance? Is it even possible to understand in advance that not everything is fine with a partner? What personality traits should you be wary of when choosing a life partner? And what to do if a dangerous partner is already nearby? Doctor of Medical Sciences, head of the department of forensic psychiatric prevention of the State Scientific Center for SSP named after V.P. told Lenta.ru about this, as well as about the chemistry of love and the right approach to creating a family. Serbian" Oksana Makushkina.
Violent and quiet
“There are a great many definitions of mental disorder,” Professor Oksana Anatolyevna Makushkina immediately dots the i’s. — But there is one definition of mental health. The starting point is a person’s ability to adapt to society. First of all, at work and in the family. In particular, do not create conflict situations, and also get out of them with minimal losses for yourself and others. The preservation of this possibility indicates a norm, if one can speak of a norm at all.
Of course, all normal people are different from each other - they have different temperament, character, level of intelligence... Apparently, everyone has heard about the four types of temperament: melancholic, phlegmatic, sanguine and choleric. Extreme types of characters, located on the border of the norm, are also well studied and are called accentuations.
In the qualifications of the famous Russian psychiatrist A.E. Lichko (1977) human characters are divided into 11 accentuations: hyperthymic (overactive), cycloid (activity is periodically replaced by depression), labile (with frequent mood swings at the slightest provocation), sensitive (shy and impressionable), astheno-neurotic (capricious, suspicious , irritable), schizoid (unable and unwilling to communicate with people), psychasthenic (prone to constant introspection, anxious), epileptoid (authoritarian, irritable, angry), hysterical (attention-seeking, demonstrative, self-centered), conformal (adapting to the situation) and unstable (lazy, susceptible to influence).
The starting point is a person’s ability to adapt to society...
Photo: Alastair Grant/AP
But, as Dr. Makushkina has already said, all normal people, no matter whether the accentuation in their character is bright or barely noticeable, epileptoid or psychasthenic, are able to control their words and actions, foresee the consequences of emerging situations and control them. If such a person breaks the law, he bears full responsibility for his words and actions.
What do the experts advise?
If you find out that you have connected your life with a psychopath, first of all, visit a professional psychologist. The specialist will select a specific model of behavior for your case. You should also know that a psychopathic man is an excellent manipulator. Despite his coldness, he has a well-developed instinct. If he notices that your relationship is on the verge of collapse, he will begin to be a hypocrite and lie, choosing the right words, appealing to your best feelings. Therefore, it will not be possible to part with him right away. In order not to give a reason for a psychological attack, a woman should not show her true feelings during a quarrel. It is best to keep your distance at these moments, citing being busy. It may be that you still decided to leave such a man. In this case, we should not forget about the high impulsiveness of psychopaths. It is possible that the news will cause rage and aggression in your partner.
Two types of ill health
“If we talk about the problem of mental illness,” continues Oksana Makushkina, “the medical community adheres to the classification of diseases. Currently this is ICD-10 - International Qualification of Diseases, 10th revision. In accordance with it, mental disorders are divided into two large groups: severe, pronounced disorders, and less severe, so-called borderline ones.
The first group includes schizophrenia spectrum disorders, in which control over behavior may be largely lost. A sick person has a changed worldview and relationships with other people, and often there is also a pathological motivation for behavior. If such a person commits illegal actions, there is a high probability that he will be declared insane.
The second group includes personality disorders, or in the old terminology - psychopathy, as well as neurotic disorders. Personality disorders, or psychopathy, affect, according to various sources, from 4 to 15 percent of the world's population. Among the causes of occurrence: genetic predisposition, upbringing, consequences of stress and mental trauma, violence suffered, including sexual violence, head injuries.
Personality disorders differ from character accentuations in a greater degree of severity. That is, these are character traits, but greatly exaggerated. The line is quite thin, but accentuations are not as stable over time as psychopathy and do not lead to social maladjustment. On the other hand, what distinguishes personality disorders from schizophrenia is that they have virtually no dynamics throughout life, that is, they do not develop. People with personality disorders, if they commit a crime, are usually recognized as sane and are held responsible for their actions.
About behavior
There is a myth that psychopaths are mentally disabled people. However, according to experts, this is by no means the case. Mostly psychopaths at the average level. Often among them there are people who have extraordinary intellectual abilities.
There is an assumption that Hemingway and Gogol had signs of a psychopath. In men, as in women, the disease is the result of pathology of the central nervous system. Manifests itself in emotional imbalance and lability. According to experts, the behavior of men with signs of psychopathy is openly theatrical, demonstrative in nature and often contradicts socially established norms. It can manifest itself in different ways. It all depends on the form of the pathology. For example, with severe psychopathy, a person is characterized by attacks of aggression. A psychopath with a mild manifestation of pathology controls his actions. By creating the image of a friendly person, he will easily gain your trust. At the same time, in pursuit of his goal, he successfully uses cunning and sophisticated methods in relation to close people.
Show your radical
“A personality disorder is a pathological makeup that prevents a person from adapting, behaving adequately, and acting in such a way as to get out of different situations with minimal adverse consequences,” explains the professor. — Such people have a limited range of possibilities and solutions, unlike a normal person. However, they are able to foresee the consequences of their actions.
Without any prerequisites or symptoms...
Photo: Grigory Sysoev / RIA Novosti
The range, by the way, is limited only in conditions of crisis, or, as doctors say, decompensation. When, due to additional stress and failures, psychopathic personality traits appear so clearly that they become noticeable to others.
— A person with a personality disorder will always react to decompensation with his personal radicalism. The psychasthenic will go into depression, the schizoid will completely stop communicating with people, the hysterical will behave demonstratively and start breaking plates. If we consider decompensation from the perspective of possible harm to others, then we should pay attention to personality disorders associated with increased aggression. These are dissocial personalities (sociopaths), unstable and emotionally labile individuals - too excitable and hot-tempered. Decompensation in such people leads to aggression, unreasonable conflicts and even harm to others.
How to recognize such a person? It’s by these signs that you can recognize it. Yes, they have a reduced ability to adapt, and, yes, they are difficult in everyday life. But in the absence of psychotraumatic factors, in comfortable conditions, such people can be in a compensated state for a long time, that is, live and work normally, be in excellent relationships with loved ones and work colleagues.
About the characteristics of psychopaths
Regardless of the type of pathology, men with this disorder are characterized by deceit, high impulsiveness (often they cannot control themselves), and inability to sympathize and repent. Such a person is very resistant to social infection. This is due to a lack of reflection and empathy. Therefore, a psychopath cannot correctly assess the consequences of his actions. The instinct of self-preservation and deep emotions are also not characteristic of them. He feels more comfortable in the dark, and therefore is more active at night. Prefers strong drinks, as well as bitter and sour foods. If someone disagrees with him and goes against him, he will cause irritation and aggression in the psychopath. The presence of the above qualities helps such people achieve their goals. A psychopath, easily manipulating others, can quickly make a career for himself. Such a man can be a successful lawyer, police officer, bank employee, doctor and journalist.
Fell, woke up...
Borderline disorders are not always an inherent personality trait. They can appear after suffering exogenous hazards: head injuries, neuroinfections (encephalitis, meningitis), intoxication, including alcohol surrogates, which adversely affect the brain. But most often these are injuries.
A person has an accident, gets hit on the head, a year and a half passes, and suddenly the one who was previously calm and balanced becomes hot-tempered, irritable, picky, and does not tolerate alcohol well. As a rule, such people react to changes in weather - their mood changes, irritability increases.
- What should be done in this case? - Professor Makushkina continues to explain. — If an injury or severe infection occurs, you need to get help from a neurologist: nootropics, vascular drugs that improve the functioning of the brain, must be used in courses and not just once, but for a long time. The reversibility of symptoms depends on the severity of the injury, the person’s ability to recover, age and treatment. In any case, this disorder will not go away on its own.
Professor Oksana Makushkina
Photo: Pavel Orlov / Lenta.ru
About dissocial psychopathy
People with this pathology are also called sociopaths. According to experts, this disorder of the higher nervous system is considered the most dangerous. The fact is that people who have been diagnosed with dissocial psychopathy do not follow generally accepted human principles at all. Any moral framework is not acceptable to them. This means that a sociopath does not disdain anything to achieve his goal and is not at all limited in his choice of means. According to psychologists, a man with dissocial psychopathy sets certain rules for himself, personally justifies them, and then follows them. The danger for others and society as a whole lies in the fact that the rules established by him often run counter to universal human ones. Therefore, sociopaths are mentally prepared to commit the most serious crimes.
Very often men are addicted to alcohol and drugs. This category of psychopaths is distinguished not just by aggressiveness, but by impulsiveness. Such a person is capable of taking unreasonable risks, committing cruelty and manipulating the lives of other people, and therefore many accidents, incidents and serious crimes occur due to the fault of sociopaths.
Transmitter in a toothbrush
— If we are talking about severe mental disorders, then we must understand that a schizophrenia spectrum illness can debut at 30 and 40 years of age. Without any prerequisites or symptoms. An acute condition develops in a person who has not had any illness before. Suddenly he begins to behave unusually, listens to something, brushes off someone, talks to a non-existent interlocutor. He believes that he is being watched, his neighbor wants to harm him, influences him, controls his thoughts. At the same time, it is impossible to dissuade the patient (this is what characterizes delusional ideas - they arise without a real reason and cannot be corrected from the outside). He declares that he is being hunted by some service that has implanted transmitters everywhere, even in his toothbrush. Delirium can also spread to loved ones. The husband or wife turns into “secret service agents.” In some cases, a person completely withdraws into himself, and the visible symptoms remain unusual behavior, complete isolation, and wariness. The motives for the actions and the actions of the patient themselves do not correlate in any way with reality. With such diseases, we are not talking about trauma or stress.
The biggest mistake relatives make in such a situation is to let it take its course. They say he must pull himself together and show willpower. Such problems do not solve themselves. Moreover, there is a high risk that the patient will commit socially dangerous actions and cause harm to himself or others.
In such cases, immediate professional help is needed, and the sooner the better. Because the sooner the acute condition is stopped, the more favorable the prognosis and the fewer consequences for mental activity.
- How is it happening? - the professor gets upset. “Often people, even knowing that their relatives have mental disorders, knowing that they were seen by a psychiatrist, do nothing to ensure that this person continues to go to the doctor and receive supportive therapy, which in most cases evens out aggressive tendencies. In a sense, they are digging their own hole.
About correction
Symptoms of psychopathy appear at an early age. For example, a boy with a dissocial disorder may torture animals, bully peers and those who are weaker. Schizoids are often immersed in their inner world and are very closed. The hysterical type experiences frequent and inexplicable mood swings. These manifestations signal a problem. The psyche of a child with such symptoms should be corrected. Early adolescence is the optimal period for this purpose. To prevent the progression of pathology, it is necessary to begin treatment of psychopathy in a timely manner. According to psychologists, it is impossible to completely get rid of the syndrome. But after passing the psychopathy test, a person will know his diagnosis. The specialist will familiarize the patient with the characteristics of a particular type of disorder, and will also teach him how to control himself.
This is precisely the main treatment for psychopathy. Socialization of the patient is achieved by a psychotherapist or neurologist using the following basic methods:
- Group work.
- Family psychotherapy.
- Individual consultation. The specialist studies the conditions under which the patient’s personality and cognitive characteristics developed, and then makes a diagnosis and conducts a treatment course.
- Cognitive-behavioral method.
- Hypnosis.
It may be that by the time of diagnosis the pathology has acquired a severe form. In this case, the above methods for correction will not be enough. In this case, they are treated with special drugs, namely tranquilizers and antidepressants.
Their use is advisable only if the patient exhibits extreme aggressiveness, severe emotional disturbances in the form of depression and full-blown delusional patterns. For example, Haloperidol is used to suppress anger and aggression. In addition, the therapist may prescribe sedatives, antioxidants, immunomodulators and multivitamins.
A psychiatrist is not a sentence
“Lenta.ru:” Oksana Anatolyevna, but you understand that going to a psychoneurological dispensary is a stigma for a Russian person. If people find out about visits to a psychiatrist, a person will hardly be able to avoid teasing and ridicule. His friends will begin to feel sorry for his wife, and she herself will periodically call her husband a moron. Not to mention the problems with obtaining a driver's license, hunting license, and finding employment.
“First of all, I tell you with full responsibility,” here Dr. Makushkina is on her territory, “that seeking advice from a psychiatrist does not at all mean registration. In accordance with the Law “On Psychiatric Care” there is consultative and therapeutic assistance and dispensary observation. The first is carried out as a person applies, and no one will register him. The law stipulates that only persons suffering from a chronic and protracted mental disorder with severe, persistent or frequently exacerbating painful manifestations are subject to dispensary observation. There are clear indications. Moreover, a person cannot be taken under dispensary observation by the attending physician, but only by a commission of psychiatrists. Restrictions on obtaining a driver's license and the right to own a gun are associated exclusively with severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia. So don’t think that if you go to a psychiatrist, you won’t be given a license later.
Secondly, after its debut, a severe mental disorder most often has a chronic course. If a person stops maintenance therapy, their condition will worsen. As soon as relatives notice a resumption of the disease, they need to contact a psychiatrist. The main thing is to understand: severe mental disorders do not go away on their own.
Thirdly, you are talking about a driver’s license and a hunting license... You know, there are cases when people with severe mental disorders, having a gun, use it. Are you sure such people need guns and cars?
FSBI "SSC SSP named after V.P. Serbian"
Photo: Grigory Sysoev / RIA Novosti
About the asthenic psychopath
This pathology is also called dependent disorder. This name is due to the fact that a man is constantly dependent on a woman. In childhood it is the mother, and later it is the wife. A psychopathic asthenic man is very helpless: he is absolutely passive, indecisive, does not know how to make decisions (women do this task for him) and is very unsure of himself. At the same time, according to experts, people with asthenic psychopathy are perfectionists - they strive for perfection in everything. According to the conviction of such a psychopath, if something is not ideal, then it should not exist. This explains why an asthenic psychopath takes work very seriously.
Despite all his diligence, such a man gets tired very quickly and is practically exhausted. Due to very low stress resistance, it is not advisable to subject such a person to any physical and mental stress. If an asthenic psychopath decides to get married, he will give preference to the one who will become for him, first of all, a caring mother, and not a woman he loves and has equal rights with him. In a family, a man with a dependent disorder feels great in the role of a subordinate. To maintain this state of affairs, he will skillfully play along and portray sincere feelings.
Possible reasons
Childhood psychotrauma is a possible cause of the development of psychopathy.
Today it is completely unknown what factors can provoke the development of psychopathy. However, the most probable ones are highlighted:
- heredity;
- childhood psychotrauma;
- hypoxia during fetal development;
- attention deficit;
- parental overprotection;
- injury during childbirth;
- negative environmental impact;
- transmission of an infectious disease in early childhood;
- growing up without parents.
These factors may not affect the development of psychopathy. However, they can provoke or aggravate it.
Deceit
Symptoms and signs of a personality disorder often include persistent deception from a partner. At first, the woman does not attach any importance to this, because the chosen one lies to her over trifles. However, after some time, the deception acquires impressive proportions.
Nevertheless, the woman cannot accuse him of being a psychopath. Whenever he tries to find out the truth, he immediately shows resentment or aggression. At the same time, thanks to his high intelligence, the man deliberately deceives his victim in such a way that she notices his lie. And this moment is quite joyful for the psychopath, allowing him to enjoy the helplessness of the victim and his impunity.
Prevalence of the disease
According to statistics, 1-2% of the world's population suffers from psychopathy. Moreover, 80% of such patients are representatives of the stronger half of humanity.
Quite successful people in leadership positions often suffer from psychopathy. Of the men in prison, pathology was detected in 1/3 of their total number.
Approximately 10% of the population exhibits psychopathic forms of behavior. They can also harm others. However, there are clearly insufficient grounds to make a clinical diagnosis in these cases.
Breakup rules
If life has begun to resemble a minefield where every step is risky, there is no need to delay the breakup. This will not be easy to do, since the psychopathic husband will try to show all his charm. Manipulation will be used again: depictions of repentance, requests for forgiveness, romantic behavior. If the partner is unwilling to give in, he will begin to threaten, and may even put what he says into practice. Fear often keeps women close to such husbands.
If a woman nevertheless decides to break up, she must remember that she must act very carefully, otherwise there is a risk of running into his uncontrollable aggression. It is best to start a conversation in a public place or in the presence of loved ones. It is dangerous to be alone with him, and he will not show aggression in public.
If a man allowed himself to be assaulted, you should not talk to him about divorce in person at all. You need to secretly pack your things and leave the house, informing him of the breakup by phone or by letter. A personal meeting will certainly end in violence.
No matter how a relationship with a psychopathic man develops, a woman must decide for herself how appropriate it is. This diagnosis does not always imply aggression. You can learn to live with such a person and even benefit, but it all depends on how much the woman is ready to sacrifice herself. In addition, if a man himself is aware of his illness, then there is a chance to correct his behavior.
Special attraction
It will not be difficult for a psychopathic man to charm a woman. In the process of communication, such a gentleman actively shows signs of attention and strives to be near his chosen one as often as possible. At the same time, he is always romantic and stands out for his originality. Also, a psychopathic man easily maintains conversations on a variety of topics. Such courtship leads to the fact that the victim of a person with a personality disorder is not able to notice dangerous signs of pathology. Let's consider what they are expressed in.
Bouts of rage
Any little thing can provoke an outbreak of aggression in a psychopath. It could be a poorly prepared breakfast, a dirty glass, or sometimes just a woman’s good mood. Outbursts of anger follow the same pattern.
At first, the man simply raises his voice, and then gradually works himself up to rage. And when his anger reaches its highest point, in addition to words, physical strength begins to come into play.
