With the stigma of mental illness fading in society, more individuals are speaking out about how they live with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Image: Pexels
With the stigma of mental illness fading in society, more individuals are speaking out about how they live with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD).
Recently, Kanika Batra, who says she was diagnosed as a sociopath, made waves on social media with her controversial hot takes and advice.
Batra said those with her condition either end up in prison or on top of the corporate order as a CEO.
WATCH:
@ogkanikabatra Why i’ll end up in prison or as a ceo #aspd #fyp #foryou #viral #sociopath #conned #theranos ♬ original sound - Kanika Batra-Matheson
In popular media, such as movies and TV shows, CEOs are often portrayed as having some kind of personality disorder, such as in “Succession”, “There Will Be Blood”, “The Founder”, “The Wolf of Wall Street”, and more.
Psychology, as a field, has come a long way from Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud’s theories of human development.
Through the decades, the profession has seen a refinement and re-imagining of long-established ways to help those who are in need of psychological help.
In this age, numerous mental conditions like depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are relatively easier to manage with medication and therapy.
However, other mental illnesses are not treatable as of now. This includes antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), which is informally referred to as sociopathy.
Vireshnie Pillay, a psychologist, says that someone with this disorder has the inability to conform to social norms that normally govern many aspects of adolescent and adult behaviour.
‘’Although there are many aspects of criminality, it does not mean that every person with ASPD is a criminal. We see the traits of the disorder from the ages of 16 and up. They can have a lot of deceitfulness and lying for their own gain and pleasure.
‘’We also often see a lot of impulsiveness, a struggle to plan ahead and a lot of irritability and aggressiveness,’’ Pillay says.
With the stigma of mental illness fading in society, more individuals are speaking out about how they live with this condition.
This is how Batra, a woman from Sydney, Australia, came to have a prominent voice online by speaking about living with an antisocial personality disorder or “taking the mask off”.
Batra is a past Miss Universe and Miss World finalist. She is also a model, singer, actor, and writer, but it was her openly talking about her ASPD that helped amass her a massive online following.
In a controversial video, she says that “normal’’ people cannot train themselves to suddenly be sociopathic over night, but they can come close to it.
“Could you do something against your morality every single day? And by this, I mean, could you back-stab your best friend without feeling remorse? Would you smear someone’s reputation if you’re going up against them for a promotion? Most people would lose sleep over this, and from the comment section, it seems like you really like empathy and guilt.’’
Batra says she never feels guilt and does as she pleases. “I have done some objectively horrible things and slept perfectly fine.’’
@ogkanikabatra Can you train yourself to be sociopathic? #aspd #fyp #foryou #viral #sociopath ♬ original sound - Kanika Batra-Matheson
Pillay says individuals living with ASPD can have reckless behaviour and end up in physical altercations because they disregard their own or others’ physical safety.
“There is a lot of irresponsibility, and they may struggle to maintain a job. One of the main things you see is a lack of remorse. They don’t feel empathy towards another person getting hurt or mistreated. They often justify their actions and don’t see themselves as wrong.’’
Batra says most people with ASPD went through trauma, and now they make it their job to always have control or the upper hand.
@ogkanikabatra Why do sociopaths want control? #aspd #fyp #foryou #viral #sociopath #power ♬ original sound - Kanika Batra-Matheson
Pillay says there is no treatment for ASPD, but those with it can get help to manage symptoms such as anger and impulsivity. It is only psychologists, psychiatrists and medical doctors, she says.
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