Helping individuals and families affected by psychopathy, conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder.
Too few people know the truth about these disorders. We’re helping change that… by helping you know the signs. Know about treatment options and resources. And know you’re not alone.
APA-Approved Continuing Education (CE) Classes On Demand
Are you a mental health professional? Click below to register for on-demand courses for CE credit taught by internationally recognized experts and Psychopathy Is Board members Professors Abigail Marsh, Carrie Barron and Christopher Patrick.
What is Psychopathy?
Sponsored by Palo Alto University, an APA-approved sponsor of continuing education (CE) courses.
Presenter: Chris Patrick, PhD
Price: $100
The Development of Conduct Disorder and Aggression
Sponsored by Palo Alto University, an APA-approved sponsor of continuing education (CE) courses.
Presenter: Abigail Marsh, PhD
Price: $100
The Overlap Between Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Psychopathy
Sponsored by Palo Alto University, an APA-approved sponsor of continuing education (CE) courses.
Presenter: Carrie Barron, MD
Price: $100
Featured Article
What it's Like Living as a Female Psychopath
Psychopathy is a condition that reviles and fascinates many people in equal measure, but the deeply entrenched stigma surrounding it means the disorder is still poorly understood – especially when it occurs in women.
Source: BBC
Featured Article
Parenting Boys With Conduct Problems and Callous-Unemotional Traits: Parent and Child Perspectives
Parenting children with conduct problems (CP) is challenging, yet very little research has examined parenting using both quantitative and qualitative methods...
Source: European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Psychopathy Facts
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Psychopathy Is...
not a synonym for violence or crime.
Psychopathy does increase the risk for violence and criminal behavior. But in many people psychopathy leads mostly to less serious behaviors, such as manipulation, lying, stealing, and bullying.
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Psychopathy Is...
the most expensive mental health condition in existence,
costing the criminal justice system an estimated $460 billion annually. Every $1 invested in treating psychopathy saves over $7.
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Psychopathy Is...
a major risk factor for gun violence.
Children with psychopathic traits are over four times more likely than other children to use a gun during a crime. Investing in better treatment options for psychopathy will reduce gun violence.
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Psychopathy Is...
a major risk factor for bullying.
Bullies are over twice as likely to have psychopathic traits as children who don’t bully. Children with psychopathic traits are more likely to become bullies even if they were never bullied themselves. Investing in better treatment options for psychopathy will reduce bullying.
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Psychopathy Is...
a common mental disorder.
It is more common than schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or anorexia. But, unlike these disorders, psychopathy receives almost no federal research funding. Such funding is needed to identify mechanisms, preventions and treatments.
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Psychopathy Is...
something a person has, not something a person is.
Psychopathy is a mental disorder, like depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It is not a disorder a person chooses to have. And symptoms can improve with treatment.
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Psychopathy Is...
very difficult to detect.
Unlike many other serious mental disorders, psychopathy can be invisible to observers. People with psychopathy often present a “mask” of normalcy despite their serious emotional and behavioral disturbances. There are no cues that reliably signal that someone has psychopathy.
About Us
RAISING AWARENESS AND DISPELLING MYTHS
How People Who Are Psychopathic Respond to threat | Ask a Researcher – Inti Brazil
PSYCHOPATHY IS… About truth. Separating fact from fiction. Freeing sufferers and their families from stigma. And helping them find a place where they feel free to share their story.
PSYCHOPATHY IS… About hope. About letting people know the disorder can be treatable.
PSYCHOPATHY IS… About resources. We have assembled the most comprehensive set of scientifically accurate videos, articles and podcasts about Psychopathy on the internet.
PSYCHOPATHY IS… changing the conversation about this misunderstood disorder.
What it's like to live with Psychopathy
Think someone might have Psychopathy?
Learn more about Psychopathy
Personal Stories

Story from Anonymous
When I was around 3-4 years old I noticed that I was different from others. My family had a farm and we raised all kinds of different animals; cows, pigs…

Story from David
Trying to describe the challenges of living with psychopathy to neurotypicals is hard to impossible. I often relate things like my inability…

A Psychopath’s Story
Remorse is alien to me. I have a penchant for deceit. I am generally free of entangling and irrational emotions. I am strategic and canny, intelligent…

A Sociopath’s Story*
As a wife and a mother, I have learned how to tell the truth. Which is why I always know when my husband is lying. My husband was trying to tell me…
The Psychopathy Blog
4 Myths About Psychopathy That Refuse to Die
by Abigail Marsh, Ph.D., Co-founder of Psychopathy Is – I can assure you that psychopathy will never die, because it is not a myth. Far from it. Psychopathy is a very real personality construct that has been the focus of thousands of scientific studies all over the world…
Can Callousness and Unemotionality in Children Be Treated?
By Deepak Seshadri and Camilo Ortiz – Hyperactive, non-compliant, disruptive, defiant, and aggressive child behaviors, or what psychologists call “externalizing behaviors,” are the most common reason parents seek out mental health help for their children…