Is she a sociopath?

[tso]

My 18 year old daughters behaviour has become increasingly worrying over the past few years. I first noticed something odd when she was about 8/9 and my niece came downstairs and told me "... said if i let her touch me she said i could come to lego land with you", but the thing was we weren't even going to lego land. At her school she was considered a bully, even though she was very smart and had some of the highest grades in her class. When she was about 10 I'd caught her and my nephew with pockets full of stolen sweets and random items after we'd been shopping so i took them back to the store, the guard told them off and all she did was laugh. In her high school she become increasingly hostile, manipulative, got a criminal record for stealing, stole from me and her little brother, stole money from friends. She has been rarely violent but she attacks emotionally and says dreadful things about you or your personal life. But she can be very charming, asks for money even after she has shouted or verbally attacked me and I can't help but give it her. She puts on a face of gold when meeting people for the first time. She constantly lies with such ease, and isn't afraid to tread on anyones feelings. Her friends have said she has a very sick sense of humor and doesn't care what she says to them and isn't afraid to hurt their feelings either. She doesn't have a job and uses one of her friends only for money and has described him as her "personal atm". No matter how many times i try and connect with her she refuses and would rather stay up in her room by herself or go out. She has been taking drugs either everyday or every other day for the past 2/3 years, stays out for up to 3 days sometimes without coming home or telling me where she is going. I've had her bags packed ready for her when she comes homes sometimes, but all she does is look at me and laugh then makes herself at home like nothing has happened. What am i to do? Is there no hope for my daughter?

[Jaquta]

Whatever the diagnosis she does have some concerning personality traits.
Maybe a joint appointment would be more productive and helpful.

I can understand about wanting to engage with people with some understanding or empathy about mental illness.
My mother calls me a schizophrenic or dual personality because I engage better with my doctor than with her.  I would talk to my family but they either put up defenses or attack me.  I'm not sure why your daughter would feel uncomfortable talking to you.
Some parents are over-protective to the point that they refuse to see and accept the real issue.

Maybe even subconsciously your daughter is protecting you.  Maybe she's just protecting herself.  Who know?

I don't have very much confidence in psychiatrists or mental health professionals.  I often think stupidity is a prerequisite for becoming one of those.  Another member also suggested psychiatrists got their medical degrees from vending machines.
I probably think that after some time dealing with patients with mh issues some doctors lose the plot.  I'm not sure whether that is because they've been burnt out or because they're trying desperately to fix people their way.  Somewhere they just seem to lose sight of basic common sense.

I think education, etc may get in the way.  I was reading a post from a doctor who later specialized in psychiatry.  He was saying how barbaric the treatment was in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.  Only later to say that he would give ect to more aggravating patients.  I would be concerned that treatment guidelines could be so variable based on doctor attitude, perception and mood.

I guess ultimately that unless the patient is at risk there is nothing they can do.  The person is a consenting adult.

Sometimes I think doctors back us into corners where we may say or do things that we may not have done otherwise.
This feels like confession.

Anyway, have you tried to make an appointment for both her and you to see a psychiatrist?  That may help to straighten out some of the dynamics.

I expect the doctor here will have had some experience with difficult or dishonest patients.  Maybe he could give you some practical advice about how best to approach this situation.

p.s.  There is always hope.  Once you take that out of the equation there is nothing.

[tso]

She has seen 4 different doctors - 3 psychiatrists and 1 counsellor but they all just brushed her off, and when I asked her about the sessions, she said she lied to them about the information she gave them, and "only wanted to go to have a conversation with someone on the same wavelength and intellectual level" because she cannot have one with people she already knows. It worries me that she can lie to a psychiatrist and they don't pick up on it.

[Jaquta]

I would have her assessed by a ?psychiatrist.  I don't think that she is a sociopath or has antisocial personality disorder.  I think her problems may be better accounted for by other diagnoses.  Currently my concern would be what seems to be a drug addiction.

You should have her see a doctor.

[Peter Forster]

I would suggest that you consider starting with a consultation with a psychiatrist yourself. Take in your concerns and all the information that you have and then discuss how to proceed. When we are contacted about this kind of situation we usually suggest beginning with a family consultation.... that may then evolve into a consultation with the "identified patient", or not. As you note, there are confidentiality barriers once the person becomes a patient.... but not before. I would be thinking about bipolar, substance abuse, or a cluster B personality disorder.... sorry in a bit of a hurry.