Reply to have you read this? NY Times article about child psychopaths

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I agree the article was "chilling". But , I don't see why the author seemed surprised that there is such a thing as psychopathic kids ... their wiring for deviancy might just be there from birth.[/quote]

The reason for this is that traditionally the mental health profession won't diagnose a person with a personality disorder until they are at least 18 years old, on the theory that personality is still fluid and forming in childhood through adolescence. Psychopathy (called Antisocial Personality Disorder in the DSM-IV) is a personality disorder. All of that aside, I think the research is coming around to show that at least psychopathic traits are present from an early age -- well before adulthood. Officially, the DSM would assign children with these traits as having Conduct Disorder, but there isn't agreement in the field about whether this captures the true nature of psychopathy. A key element of the psychopath is a high need for sensation seeking and a high tolerance for emotional distress. These traits aren't present in many individuals diagnosed with Conduct Disorder or Antisocial Personality Disorder.[/quote]

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