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sociopathic 13 year old
Can anyone recommend books on helping diagnosis and treat children with sociopathic disorders? All the books and information I have seen is on recognizing it in criminals, mass murderers. Diagnosing him would at least give us a handle on the "whys" involved in his behavior even though there might not be effective treatment.
I think it sounds like antisocial personality disorder if he is old enough.
These are all the DSM diagnostic codes-on the website below. I did not see sociopath. Maybe it is not a diagnosis but a descriptive of criminal behavior. I don't know.
Source--you can go to this website and click on these conditions and read about them.
http://allpsych.com/disorders/disorders_alpha.html
Actually, the list was too long to copy easily. Just go to that website. The info is taken from DSM-IV.
Good luck. I hope you figure out what is wrong.
These are all the DSM diagnostic codes-on the website below. I did not see sociopath. Maybe it is not a diagnosis but a descriptive of criminal behavior. I don't know.
Source--you can go to this website and click on these conditions and read about them.
http://allpsych.com/disorders/disorders_alpha.html
Actually, the list was too long to copy easily. Just go to that website. The info is taken from DSM-IV.
Good luck. I hope you figure out what is wrong.
I just called my mother to confirm things that I see with him. He has an inability to FEEL things. He has a complete disrespect for authority. He was suspended from school 32 times last year AND that's with only being in school 1/2 days. They wanted to send him home before his medications wore off. He cannot be disiplined with any positive results. I think everyone has given up on him. He has never had a friend until last year and that has since ended. He was suspended from school this year within the first three weeks and asked not to come back. He completely takes over the attention in any of his classrooms and his teachers felt every other student was suffering for this. No one can disipline him with any results, Everything at one time or another has been taken away from him and he simply doesnt' care. There has never been any abuse in the immediate or extended families. Not even a divorse. We are well educated and family oriented people. He can carry on the most mature and intelligent conversation when talking with adults about hunting and fishing (his only passions) yet he can go off and cannot be reasoned with when he decides to get something going. He recently threw a propane torch into a wood stove because he was asked to add more wood to the fire. He has started several fires lately, He is 5 years behind his other classmates and the new school they sent him to is a 6-1-1 classroom, which means 6 students to 1 teacher to 1 teachers aide.
There is no reasoning with him, I once tried to teach him why he should not hurt his younger cousin, explaining to him that she was much younger and smaller and that hurting her would be a bad thing. Over and over he kept asking questions and now looking back I realized it's because he just doesn't "get"it. He does not feel the concequences for anything. yes it's a stubborn thing, more than that you can tell he just doesnt' understand the meaning behind it.
At the same time, when he's good, he's a fun kid to be around. We all want the best for him but we need to understand what he's going through before we can help him. You just assume he's acting the way he is because he wants attention, etc. but it's something more. No he isnt' hurting animals, but he hunts and kills on a regular basis. He does not take pleasure in watching them suffer. I don't think he's capable of feeling it's pain.
They tried "brushing therapy" on him when he was younger like with autistic children. He really has been on everything out there.
I'd been internet surfing and when I came into the sociopathic websites I knew I had something. We're afraid he might hurt his younger sister who is beautiful, easy going, sweet, etc, all the things he is not and never was.
The fire thing has just started. He started a fire at my mothers house in the leaves out back. Close enought to the house to be scary, and burned a hole on her carseat when she repremanded him for something. He's boastful and fabricates wild stories, and lies all the time. As bad as he can be, he's still fun to be around if he want's to be fun to be around. He completely rules every situation. You might think he just needs more disipline. It's way beyond that. There's something missing that should be there.
He's only 13, with diagnosis and an (sociopathic websites)talk about the parasitic lifestyle. He wants everyone to do things for him, he manipulates people and his goal is to live off the welfare system. With his history of medications and illnesses he propably could.
As much as I do for him, trips to DC to go to smithsonians, bought his cell phone (which he ran up 600.00 in game playing before I discovered it) he doesn't feel anything for me other than what he can get from me. I'm not being vindictive or mean, it's just his reality doesn't make any sense to anyone that knows him.
And it's getting worse.
I have a call into my sister about the DSM-IV testing. She is a school therapist and has been working with the school system to help evaluate him. She however is washing her hands of things as nothing she does or anyone else does helps.
There is no reasoning with him, I once tried to teach him why he should not hurt his younger cousin, explaining to him that she was much younger and smaller and that hurting her would be a bad thing. Over and over he kept asking questions and now looking back I realized it's because he just doesn't "get"it. He does not feel the concequences for anything. yes it's a stubborn thing, more than that you can tell he just doesnt' understand the meaning behind it.
At the same time, when he's good, he's a fun kid to be around. We all want the best for him but we need to understand what he's going through before we can help him. You just assume he's acting the way he is because he wants attention, etc. but it's something more. No he isnt' hurting animals, but he hunts and kills on a regular basis. He does not take pleasure in watching them suffer. I don't think he's capable of feeling it's pain.
They tried "brushing therapy" on him when he was younger like with autistic children. He really has been on everything out there.
I'd been internet surfing and when I came into the sociopathic websites I knew I had something. We're afraid he might hurt his younger sister who is beautiful, easy going, sweet, etc, all the things he is not and never was.
The fire thing has just started. He started a fire at my mothers house in the leaves out back. Close enought to the house to be scary, and burned a hole on her carseat when she repremanded him for something. He's boastful and fabricates wild stories, and lies all the time. As bad as he can be, he's still fun to be around if he want's to be fun to be around. He completely rules every situation. You might think he just needs more disipline. It's way beyond that. There's something missing that should be there.
He's only 13, with diagnosis and an (sociopathic websites)talk about the parasitic lifestyle. He wants everyone to do things for him, he manipulates people and his goal is to live off the welfare system. With his history of medications and illnesses he propably could.
As much as I do for him, trips to DC to go to smithsonians, bought his cell phone (which he ran up 600.00 in game playing before I discovered it) he doesn't feel anything for me other than what he can get from me. I'm not being vindictive or mean, it's just his reality doesn't make any sense to anyone that knows him.
And it's getting worse.
I have a call into my sister about the DSM-IV testing. She is a school therapist and has been working with the school system to help evaluate him. She however is washing her hands of things as nothing she does or anyone else does helps.
No problem. I hope it helps and you all find a way to help him. By the way, when I was rereading what I posted about antisocial personality disorder, this stood out:
"This disorder was previously known as both psychopathic and Sociopathic personality disorder."
It is in the top part of the posting. Maybe that is why DSM-IV does not have a listing for sociopath-it has been updated.
You don't sound vindictive--just concerned.
"This disorder was previously known as both psychopathic and Sociopathic personality disorder."
It is in the top part of the posting. Maybe that is why DSM-IV does not have a listing for sociopath-it has been updated.
You don't sound vindictive--just concerned.
Sorry, it is under etiology. You might want to try searching for antisocial personality disorder treatments since this doesn't list any-if you think it fits. You have to remind your sister that she is a professional and has an obligation to find him help if she knows of his condition. Best wishes--
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