From: judgebean23x@gmail.com   
      
   The birth of a psychopath   
   By Kelly Daniel, CNN   
      
   Updated 7:51 AM ET, Wed June 17, 2015   
   2014: Doctor says psychopaths can't change   
      
   2014: Doctor says psychopaths can't change 02:47   
   Story highlights   
   Psychopaths have a distinct lack of remorse for their own bad actions and a   
   failure to accept responsibility   
   For the violent psychopath, an early sign might be cruelty to animals or   
   complete lack of caring for other children   
   (CNN)After every horrific crime that shocks us, the next question we often ask   
   is, "How could anyone do such a thing?"   
      
   If the criminal is a psychopath, the answer is very simple. They don't feel   
   empathy or guilt. So instead of asking, "How could they do this horrible   
   thing?" the more pertinent question might be, "When did they start doing   
   horrible things?"   
      
   What defines a psychopath   
   Psychopaths are pathological liars, manipulators, and charmers. They have a   
   distinct lack of remorse for their own bad actions, a failure to accept   
   responsibility for the same, and an overall lack of empathy. They are   
   impulsive and irresponsible, seeking    
   constant stimulation. Many are horribly violent and their motives "more   
   commonly will involve sadistic gratification," according to an FBI bulletin   
   devoted to the disorder. "The psychopath is an intraspecies predator," it   
   reads.   
   Psychopaths are found in every country, belong to every race, and the majority   
   are men. According to several studies, roughly 1% of the men in the United   
   States are probably psychopaths, and they most likely exhibited signs at a   
   very young age. Those    
   signs are key -- there is no known cure for full-blown psychopathy.   
   An untreatable condition?   
   Researchers continue to search for a successful treatment plan, but "we don't   
   have a therapy for it, and there's no known pill for psychopathy," said Mary   
   Ellen O'Toole, a former FBI profiler who has written extensively about   
   psychopaths.   
   Any attempt at therapy has to be carefully structured and monitored,   
   particularly in the case of a criminal psychopath, as they are equipped with   
   the skill and motivation to act more as a predator than a patient. They can   
   easily identify weaknesses in    
   their therapists and feign progress to shorten treatment.   
   Psychopaths don't seek out treatment on their own, said Robert Hare, who has   
   studied psychopathy for more than 40 years and developed the scale used to   
   measure it. He explained that psychopaths, not suffering any psychological or   
   physical pain, don't    
   believe there's anything about themselves that needs fixing.   
   What kind of treatment might a psychopath even receive? "You can try to train   
   them to feel emotions," said Hare, "but that is like trying to train a cat to   
   be a mouse. None of the programs seem to work except those that change   
   behavioral problems. You    
   might get them to look out for themselves in a different way, to develop an   
   enlightened self-interest." And in order to do that, early detection is   
   paramount.   
   Warning signs   
   "If you look back in the childhood of any offender you can find a long, long   
   history," said Hare, who authored "Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of   
   the Psychopaths Among Us." For the violent psychopath, an early sign might be   
   cruelty to animals    
   or complete lack of caring for other children, including teasing or even   
   hurting them.   
   It goes beyond the typical arguments at school or scuffles between siblings.   
   "The behavior has to be well outside the norm," Hare said. While children are   
   not labeled psychopaths, the markers that predict a high probability a child   
   will develop a    
   psychopathic personality include many of the same characteristics: lack of   
   guilt; lack of empathy; lack of concern about performance; and shallow or   
   insincere emotions.   
   Over time, the behavior proves to be much more severe than typical childhood   
   selfishness. Even compared with children with other behavior disorders or   
   psychological issues, a child who has these traits and might be clinically   
   labeled "callous-unemotional"   
    will stand out to parents, teachers and peers.   
   Identifying a psychopath, or a child at risk for developing psychopathy,   
   relies on examining his or her behavior and interacting with the child over   
   lengthy interviews based on the checklists and scales developed by Hare. There   
   is no quick medical test    
   that can give a definitive verdict on whether someone is a psychopath, or to   
   what degree.   
   However, functional magnetic resonance imaging scans have shown some   
   functional differences in psychopaths' brains, particularly in the frontal   
   cortex and limbic system.   
   Psychopathy is also an inherited condition, according to J. Reid Meloy,   
   forensic psychologist and author of "The Psychopathic Mind." "The more severe   
   the psychopathy, the greater the inheritance for the disorder," he said.   
   Hare agreed, adding, "There are genetic factors involved. There is enormous   
   evidence indicating psychopathy is an interaction between genetics and the   
   environment."   
   Early intervention   
   In the search for a treatment or management plan for psychopathy, "early   
   intervention is really the only thing that's been shown to be effective," said   
   Matt Logan, another leading researcher in the field and a former prison   
   psychologist.   
   Intensive, regular, long-term intervention from both parents and teachers is   
   key. Programs may use cognitive behavioral therapy, group therapy, or other   
   methods. Because children showing high levels of the callous-unemotional   
   traits also typically have    
   very low levels of fear and anxiety, they usually don't have a positive   
   behavior change from programs emphasizing discipline. They are more likely to   
   respond well to positive reinforcement and reward-oriented programs.   
   Though there is some debate, many researchers believe it's important to   
   recognize the children who need this specific, tailored help, even at the risk   
   of a stigmatizing label like callous-unemotional, or later, psychopath. The   
   goal, Hare said, "is to get    
   these children to act more in line with what society expects."   
   And as Hare points out, "Not all psychopaths are criminals. They are in   
   business, government, academia and media. You'll find lots of these people,   
   but they're not committing criminal acts. They will take advantage of people."   
   Perhaps if potential psychopaths are given, at a very young age, the tools to   
   get what they want within the laws and expectations of society, a greater   
   number could live extraordinarily productive lives.   
      
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