An Experience Seldom Told: A Guest Post by Patric Gagne
Sociopath is a striking memoir detailing the author’s journey to understanding herself and her widely misunderstood mental disorder. Read on for an exclusive essay from Patric Gagne on how she hopes Sociopath changes readers’ perception of sociopathy.
Paperback
$16.99
$19.99
Sociopath: A Memoir
Sociopath: A Memoir
By Patric Gagne
In Stock Online
Paperback
$16.99
$19.99
An engrossing, “completely fascinating” (Cosmopolitan) memoir revealing the author’s struggle to come to terms with her own sociopathy and shed light on the often maligned and misunderstood mental disorder.
An engrossing, “completely fascinating” (Cosmopolitan) memoir revealing the author’s struggle to come to terms with her own sociopathy and shed light on the often maligned and misunderstood mental disorder.
A few weeks ago, a woman approached me at a bookstore. We were talking about my memoir when she admitted to having a hard time seeing sociopaths as anything but monsters. “Imagine them as children,” I replied. I think she understood, but it’s difficult to change someone’s mind once a belief takes root. Viewing sociopaths as monsters is sadly not uncommon.
The term “sociopath” first appeared just over a century ago, born of the need for a way to differentiate someone who comprehends social norms but disregards them from the already fairly well-defined psychopath, someone who doesn’t seem to realize social norms exist. Since then, the disorder has been largely ignored. Due to society’s unwillingness to empathize with sociopaths, sociopathy itself has not been given a formal definition. It’s become something like a kitchen junk drawer, a catch-all diagnosis made by those who have no other place to put society’s most psychologically-challenged or incomprehensibly-detached. The oddly-shaped spoons. Tongs that won’t close properly. Rubber bands and hot sauce packets.
Society doesn’t know what to make of those whose experience with emotion is limited. People often fear what they don’t understand. So they use the cruelest labels — evil, irredeemable, diabolical, Machiavellian — to describe adults who demonstrate sociopathic traits.
But what about children?
What about kids diagnosed with conduct and oppositional defiant disorders? These possible precursors of sociopathy and psychopathy are disorders for which there are proven treatments. Yet these children aren’t getting the help they need, and research for their disorders is woefully underfunded. But are these kids truly monsters? Should they be tossed into the junk drawer?
These questions challenge society’s irrational belief system that all sociopaths are created equal. While pop culture tends to focus on the highly-sensationalized “serial killer” composite, research tells a different story. There’s evidence showing sociopathy is a spectrum disorder, and where an adult resides on its spectrum is determined in no small part by the empathy they were shown in childhood.
But how is a child who hasn’t been shown empathy expected to learn it? Ironically, society condemns sociopaths for their lack of empathy, the very emotion they are denied. This paradox is one of the core themes of my memoir.
In the year since the release of Sociopath I’ve had the privilege of hearing from so many people who identify with my story. These interactions have been the peak of my publishing experience. But they’ve also been the pit.
I’m inevitably asked by parents where they can get help, what resources I can offer their children. It’s heartbreaking to have no answer. There are no support groups or institutions dedicated to treating those who suffer from these low-affect disorders, no books or guides or websites. But I am cautiously optimistic this will change.
I am hopeful that the paperback release of Sociopath will inspire someone in school right now to dedicate their career to becoming that resource. Or motivate someone with the power to promote research into better diagnostics, effective screenings for juveniles, comprehensive treatment plans for adults.
I wrote Sociopath to help readers understand and learn from an experience seldom told, the experience of a high-functioning person — me — diagnosed with sociopathy. As I look forward to its second life in paperback, I am hopeful that new readers will continue this conversation, and offer empathy toward those with a disorder for which compassion is long overdue.