Who we are
WE’RE HELPING LEAD A NEW CONVERSATION AROUND PSYCHOPATHY.
One that dispels myths. Shares solutions. And advocates for the funding needed to find more effective, targeted treatments.
One that dispels myths. Shares solutions. And advocates for the funding needed to find more effective, targeted treatments.
Our Mission
CHANGE OUR THINKING...
By separating fact from fiction. Teaching people the signs to look for. And ensuring everyone understands that psychopathy IS treatable.
Psychopathy is a spectrum disorder that varies from mild to severe. But it is misunderstood by the general public to be rare and limited to people who are physically violent. We aim to dispel these myths and provide accurate information about psychopathy, including symptoms and early signs.
UNITE OUR VOICES...
against stigma and shame. Tell our stories, so no one feels alone. And call attention to just how common the disorder is.
Psychopathy is a common disorder. In its most severe form it affects 1 in 100 people. But myths and stigmas make it difficult for people affected by psychopathy and their families to find support. We aim to create a forum where people can share their stories and find the information they need.
SHARE OUR RESOURCES...
so others in our communities have access to the local providers they need.
We seek to provide support to those affected by psychopathy and their families. We have created online psychopathy screening tests backed by science and offer advice for how to interpret test scores. We also aim to crowd-source the first database of local mental health professionals and treatment centers for families affected by psychopathy.
COMBINE OUR EFFORTS...
to raise awareness and funds that will fuel research and lead to more effective, targeted treatments.
Too few solutions are available for people affected by psychopathy. More research is needed to identify the causes of psychopathy and develop effective treatments. Targeted treatments, particularly in early childhood, have the potential to improve symptoms and quality of life for affected individuals and their families. Very little private or federal research funding is devoted to psychopathy, making the need for private fundraising acute. Donations to Psychopathy Is will directly support basic and clinical research.
Board of Directors
Abigail Marsh
Board of Directors, Co-Founder
Abigail Marsh is Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Georgetown University and director of the Laboratory on Social...
Lisa Michael
Board of Directors, Co-Founder
Lisa Michael is a Physics teacher at Summit Denali High School in Sunnyvale, CA and has taught Advanced Placement Physics for...
Carrie Barron
Board of Directors
Carrie Barron, Director of the Creativity for Resilience at Dell Medical School in Austin, is an Associate Professor of Medical...
Abigail Marsh
Abigail Marsh is Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Georgetown University and director of the Laboratory on Social and Affective Neuroscience. She received her BA from Dartmouth College and her PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard University in 2004 and conducted some of the first research aimed at understanding the neurodevelopment of psychopathy at the National Institute of Mental Health from 2004-2008.
She focuses on the development of prosocial emotions like empathy, compassion, and remorse, with an emphasis on the neural structures and systems that support these phenomena. Her research in both adolescents and adults incorporates neuroimaging, cognitive and behavioral testing, and pharmacology techniques and has been covered by media outlets that include PBS, NPR, The Washington Post, The Economist, and The Wall Street Journal.
She is the author of the award-winning book The Fear Factor and numerous scholarly publications in journals that include the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Psychological Science, American Journal of Psychiatry, and JAMA Psychiatry.
She focuses on the development of prosocial emotions like empathy, compassion, and remorse, with an emphasis on the neural structures and systems that support these phenomena. Her research in both adolescents and adults incorporates neuroimaging, cognitive and behavioral testing, and pharmacology techniques and has been covered by media outlets that include PBS, NPR, The Washington Post, The Economist, and The Wall Street Journal.
She is the author of the award-winning book The Fear Factor and numerous scholarly publications in journals that include the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Psychological Science, American Journal of Psychiatry, and JAMA Psychiatry.
Lisa Michael
Lisa Michael is a Physics teacher at Summit Denali High School in Sunnyvale, CA and has taught Advanced Placement Physics for over 30 years in several San Francisco Bay Area high schools. She has also been an investor in and property manager of single family homes in multiple west coast college towns for the past 21 years. She has a BS from Cornell University in Materials Science and Engineering and an MS and MA from Stanford University in Materials Science and Engineering as well as Education, respectively.
Lisa holds a patent in the field of Chemical Vapor Deposition, granted in 2001 for work she did as a Materials Science Engineer at Watkins Johnson Company in Scotts Valley, CA. She has been inspired to become involved with the Psychopathy community due to the extensive mental health problems experienced by many members of her family across multiple generations.
Lisa holds a patent in the field of Chemical Vapor Deposition, granted in 2001 for work she did as a Materials Science Engineer at Watkins Johnson Company in Scotts Valley, CA. She has been inspired to become involved with the Psychopathy community due to the extensive mental health problems experienced by many members of her family across multiple generations.
Carrie Barron
Carrie Barron, Director of the Creativity for Resilience at Dell Medical School in Austin, is an Associate Professor of Medical Education, a board-certified psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and a Positive Psychology Coach. In addition to her book The Creativity Cure, Carrie has published in several peer-reviewed journals and the Harvard Business Review. Last year, the Hektoen Journal of Medical Humanities awarded her story the Grand Prize. Carrie has been interviewed by many journalists in podcasts, radio shows, magazines and newspapers. She maintains a blog that has had over four million readers on Psychology Today where she covers a variety of well-being topics.
Conrad Seales
Board of Directors
Conrad Seales, CPA of Santa Cruz Pacific Accounting and Tax, has worked in public accounting since 1996. Santa Cruz Pacific is a sophisticated...
Chris Patrick
Board of Directors
Christopher J. Patrick, PhD, is a Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at Florida State University. His scholarly interests include...
Board of Advisors
ARIELLE BASKIN-SOMMERS, PHD
Associate Professor of Psychology and of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Philip Candilis, MD, DFAPA
Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program Director, Director of Medical Affairs at Saint Elizabeths Hospital
HEDWIG EISENBARTH, PhD
Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology
School of Psychology at the Victoria University of Wellington
School of Psychology at the Victoria University of Wellington
PAUL FRICK, PhD
Roy Crumpler Memorial Chair in the Department of Psychology at the Louisiana State University
PATRIC GAGNE, PhD
Writer, researcher, and advocate for individuals struggling with psychopathy, sociopathy, and antisocial personality disorder.
Liane Leedom, MD
Associate Professor of Counseling and Psychology Practicum and Internship Coordinator, CMHC Program University of Bridgeport
Ron Schouten, MD, JD, DFAPA
Director, Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship
St. Elizabeths Hospital
ESSI VIDING, PhD
Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the Clinical, Educational, and Health Psychology Research Department, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL
Arielle Baskin-Sommers, PHD
Associate Professor of Psychology and of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Disinhibition is central to many conceptualizations of psychopathology (e.g., substance abuse, psychopathy, externalizing [antisocial personality, low constraint]) and can be expressed in different ways from impulsivity to criminality to decision-making deficits. Although many syndromes of disinhibition display similar behaviors (e.g., impulsivity, aggression, antisocial behavior, substance use), the cognitive-affective deficits associated with each are relatively distinct. Dr. Baskin-Sommers’ research utilizes interdisciplinary theoretical principles and methods (e.g., psychophysiology, neuroimaging, self-report) to distinguish the deficits associated with these phenotypically similar syndromes in order to improve the identification of these syndromes and develop innovative syndrome-specific interventions.
Her research to date has involved a programmatic series of studies that provide evidence regarding the distinct cognitive-affective correlates that underlay different forms of disinhibition. Additionally, her more recent work aims to translate cognitive-affective science into increasingly specific and effective interventions for disinhibited individuals. Pilot work has been completed with regard to externalizing and psychopathic offenders and preliminary analyses are quite promising, demonstrating that you can differentially change behavior if you target cognitive-affective deficits that are specific to a particular syndrome. To the extent that we can distinguish the pre-disposing mechanisms associated with disinhibited syndromes and conceptualize their impact on behavior, we are poised to unravel the problem of disinhibitory psychopathology.
Her research to date has involved a programmatic series of studies that provide evidence regarding the distinct cognitive-affective correlates that underlay different forms of disinhibition. Additionally, her more recent work aims to translate cognitive-affective science into increasingly specific and effective interventions for disinhibited individuals. Pilot work has been completed with regard to externalizing and psychopathic offenders and preliminary analyses are quite promising, demonstrating that you can differentially change behavior if you target cognitive-affective deficits that are specific to a particular syndrome. To the extent that we can distinguish the pre-disposing mechanisms associated with disinhibited syndromes and conceptualize their impact on behavior, we are poised to unravel the problem of disinhibitory psychopathology.
Conrad Seales
Conrad Seales, CPA of Santa Cruz Pacific Accounting and Tax, has worked in public accounting since 1996. Santa Cruz Pacific is a sophisticated CPA firm serving exempt organizations, businesses, and individuals.
Conrad especially enjoys helping his clients analyze and understand their accounting systems and results. He currently serves as treasurer of The Compassionate Friends of Santa Cruz, a bereaved parents’ support group.
For more information you can visit his website.
Conrad especially enjoys helping his clients analyze and understand their accounting systems and results. He currently serves as treasurer of The Compassionate Friends of Santa Cruz, a bereaved parents’ support group.
For more information you can visit his website.
Chris Patrick
Christopher J. Patrick, PhD, is a Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at Florida State University. His scholarly interests include psychopathy, antisocial behavior, substance abuse, personality, fear and fearlessness, psychophysiology, and affective and cognitive neuroscience. He is author of more than 320 articles and book chapters, and Editor of the Handbook of Psychopathy (Guilford Press, 2006; 2nd ed., 2018). Dr. Patrick is a recipient of Early Career awards from the Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR; 1993) and the American Psychological Association (APA; 1995), a Past President of both SPR and the Society for Scientific Study of Psychopathy (SSSP), and recipient of a Lifetime Career Contribution award from SSSP. He is also a Fellow of APA and of the Association for Psychological Science. He served in 2010 as a Workgroup Member for the National Institute of Mental Health’s Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDoC) initiative, and from 2008-2013 as a Scientific Advisor to the DSM-5 Personality and Personality Disorders (PPD) Work Group. He is currently a member of the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5 Review Committee for Externalizing Disorders and Personality Disorders, and a member of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) Consortium.
Jen Griffis
Mother, writer, speaker, advocate, and founder of Raising Superkids, LLC
I am a mother, writer, speaker, and advocate. During the early years raising our children, my husband and I encountered some challenging behaviors that were beyond our knowledge and ability to parent. We needed help. So we began to access the children’s mental health system hoping for support, assistance, and services. Instead we found barriers and stigma. We continued to push through the system in order to find the help we so desperately needed, and along the way we began discovering opportunities to help and support others.
Currently I advocate for children’s mental health issues locally, regionally, and across my state. Not only do I advocate for policies and services that effectively support children and families, but I also encourage systems to provide opportunities for families struggling with emotional and behavioral challenges to share their voice and experiences. The journey of parenting a child with a mental health diagnosis is often lonely and isolating. I’ve experienced the stigma from others and the self-imposed expectations and blame. All of this, combined with daily parenting challenges, contributes to feelings of failure and insecurity in many parents. By sharing our family’s journey and allowing opportunities for conversations about hard topics I seek to provide support and hope for others.
Currently I advocate for children’s mental health issues locally, regionally, and across my state. Not only do I advocate for policies and services that effectively support children and families, but I also encourage systems to provide opportunities for families struggling with emotional and behavioral challenges to share their voice and experiences. The journey of parenting a child with a mental health diagnosis is often lonely and isolating. I’ve experienced the stigma from others and the self-imposed expectations and blame. All of this, combined with daily parenting challenges, contributes to feelings of failure and insecurity in many parents. By sharing our family’s journey and allowing opportunities for conversations about hard topics I seek to provide support and hope for others.
ENRICO SUARDI, MD, MSC, MA
Director of Psychiatry Services at Saint Elizabeths Hospital
Dr. Suardi is ABPN certified in psychiatry, child psychiatry, and forensic psychiatry. He obtained his M.D. and completed a residency in public health and preventive medicine at the University of Milan, Italy. He received an M.Sc. in Public Health and Policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and an Executive M.A. in National Security Affairs from the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C. Dr. Suardi teaches in both the residency and fellowship programs.
JAMES BLAIR, PhD
Director, Center for Neurobehavioral Research in Children
James Blair, PhD is the Director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Research. He is an expert in the neurobiology of emotion, aggression and antisocial behavior and has published more than 200 scientific manuscripts on this and related topics. Dr. Blair received a doctoral degree in Psychology from University College London in 1993 under the supervision of Professor John Morton. Following graduation he was awarded a Wellcome Trust Mental Health Research Fellowship that he held at the Medical Research Council Cognitive Development Unit for three years. Subsequently, Dr. Blair moved to the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London. There, with Uta Frith, he helped form and co-lead the Developmental Disorders group, and was ultimately appointed Senior Lecturer. Dr. Blair Joined the NIMH Intramural Research Program in 2002. He joined Boys Town as Center Director in August 2016. He is currently President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy as well as the acting vice-chair of the Board of Scientific Advisors for the National Courts and Sciences Institute (the Institute that educates judges on scientific topics relevant to the courtroom).
DANETTE MARIE
Social science researcher & advocate for those with invisible special needs
Danette Marie is the mother of two children adopted from Russia. She is currently in education providing instruction to students with special needs in kindergarten through high school. She cofounded an online publication for parents and clinical professionals addressing the challenges impacting children with neurodevelopmental disorders. She has a BA in Liberal Studies and an MA in Psychology focusing on Research.
LIANE LEEDOM, MD
Associate Professor of Counseling and Psychology Practicum and Internship Coordinator, CMHC Program University of Bridgeport
Dr. Leedom is a psychiatrist and Professor of Counseling and Psychology. She researches the impact of psychopathy on the family and is a leading authority on this subject.
ESSI VIDING, PhD
Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the Clinical, Educational, and Health Psychology Research Department, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL
I am a Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the Clinical, Educational, and Health Psychology Research Department, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London. Together with Professor Eamon McCrory, I co-direct the Developmental Risk and Resilience Unit at University College London. Our research focuses on investigating different developmental pathways to persistent antisocial behaviour, as well as the neurocognitive consequences of childhood maltreatment. We collaborate with researchers within and outside the university, including colleagues at the Yale Child Study Center, where we both hold adjunct appointments.
I am a Fellow of the British Academy and my research has been recognised by a number of awards, including the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award, the British Academy Wiley-Blackwell Prize in Psychology, and the Society for Scientific Study of Psychopathy Early Career Award. I am the current President of the Society for Scientific Study of Psychopathy.
I am a Fellow of the British Academy and my research has been recognised by a number of awards, including the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award, the British Academy Wiley-Blackwell Prize in Psychology, and the Society for Scientific Study of Psychopathy Early Career Award. I am the current President of the Society for Scientific Study of Psychopathy.
HEDWIG EISENBARTH, PhD
Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology
School of Psychology at the Victoria University of Wellington
School of Psychology at the Victoria University of Wellington
Hedwig did her PhD in Psychology as well as her clinical training in CBT at the University of Wurzburg (Germany). After a post-doc at the Department of Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Regensburg and a postdoc in the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder. She started her Affective and Criminal Neuroscience Lab (afcrinLab) at the University of Southampton. In 2018 she joined Victoria University of Wellington as Senior Lecturer. Her lab investigates how humans process emotional cues and how this processing influences interpersonal behaviour, using psychophysiological methods and behavioural tasks in order to understand these processes in every-day life but also in the antisocial context.
INTI BRAZIL, PhD
Associate professor, Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology
Dr. Inti Brazil's main interest is studying (mal)adaptive behavior and decision-making and their link to psychopathic/antisocial tendencies in community and offender samples. To achieve this, he examines and tries to integrate multiple levels of description by combining behavioral methods, electrophysiology, s/fMRI, and computational modelling.
PAUL FRICK, PhD
Roy Crumpler Memorial Chair in the Department of Psychology at the Louisiana State University
Paul J. Frick, Ph.D. is the Roy Crumpler Memorial Chair in the Department of Psychology at the Louisiana State University. Dr. Frick received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia in 1990. He was on the faculty at the University Alabama from 1990 to 1999. From 1999 until 2015, he was on the faculty at the University of New Orleans, where he was chair of the Department of Psychology from 2007 to 2015. Since 2013, Dr. Frick has held a joint appointment in the Learning Science Institute of Australia at Australian Catholic University in Brisbane, Australia.
A continuing line of research focuses on understanding the different pathways through which youth develop severe antisocial behavior and aggression and the implications of this research for assessment, treatment, and public policy. His work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the John T. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation. In 2004, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Orebro University in Orebro, Sweden in recognition of his research contributions in psychology. In 2008, he received the MacArthur Foundation’s Champion for Change in Juvenile Justice Award for the state of Louisiana. Dr. Frick was awarded the 2015 Robert D. Hare Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy. Dr. Frick has been the President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy (2009-2011) and the editor of the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (2007-2011), the official journal of Division 53 of the American Psychological Association which is the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Dr. Frick also was a member of the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-V Workgroup for ADHD and the Disruptive Behavior Disorders (2007-2012). He is currently the editor of the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.
A continuing line of research focuses on understanding the different pathways through which youth develop severe antisocial behavior and aggression and the implications of this research for assessment, treatment, and public policy. His work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the John T. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation. In 2004, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Orebro University in Orebro, Sweden in recognition of his research contributions in psychology. In 2008, he received the MacArthur Foundation’s Champion for Change in Juvenile Justice Award for the state of Louisiana. Dr. Frick was awarded the 2015 Robert D. Hare Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy. Dr. Frick has been the President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy (2009-2011) and the editor of the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (2007-2011), the official journal of Division 53 of the American Psychological Association which is the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Dr. Frick also was a member of the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-V Workgroup for ADHD and the Disruptive Behavior Disorders (2007-2012). He is currently the editor of the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.
PATRIC GAGNE, PhD
Writer, researcher, and advocate for individuals struggling with psychopathy, sociopathy, and antisocial personality disorder.
Patric was diagnosed with sociopathic personality disorder shortly after graduating from UCLA. She returned to school to earn a doctorate in clinical psychology. She has the unique benefit of being able to approach antisocial disorders from both a professional and a personal perspective. Her goals are to expand the definition of psychopathy to promote awareness, reduce the stigma caused by misinformation, and advocate for increased research and treatment options.
PHILIP CANDILIS, MD, DFAPA
Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program Director, Director of Medical Affairs at Saint Elizabeths Hospital
Dr. Candilis is Director of Medical Affairs and Director of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program. Recent fellows at the Saint Elizabeths program have studied and published on competence restoration, social justice, and feminist theory under his mentorship. Dr. Candilis holds academic appointments at George Washington University School of Medicine (Professor of Psychiatry), Howard University College of Medicine (Clinical Professor of Psychiatry), and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry). A former Fellow in Medical Ethics at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Candilis completed his residency and chief residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, and his forensic fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Candilis is President of the Washington Psychiatric Society and the Hellenic American Psychiatric Association.
A strong advocate for the public sector, Dr. Candilis is responsible for articulating professional standards for physician health, forensic psychiatry, and general psychiatry through a number of medical organizations, including the American College of Physicians, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Current projects include the improvement of competence assessment and restoration in public psychiatry (a SAMHSA Learning Collaborative), a textbook on global mental health, and an analysis of terrorism data from Iraq.
A strong advocate for the public sector, Dr. Candilis is responsible for articulating professional standards for physician health, forensic psychiatry, and general psychiatry through a number of medical organizations, including the American College of Physicians, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Current projects include the improvement of competence assessment and restoration in public psychiatry (a SAMHSA Learning Collaborative), a textbook on global mental health, and an analysis of terrorism data from Iraq.
Ron Schouten, MD, JD, DFAPA
Director, Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship
St. Elizabeths Hospital
He has served as a consultant to organizations and expert witness in civil and criminal matters. Dr. Schouten practiced employment law before attending medical school and has combined his legal and medical training to provide consultation and training to a variety of groups and individuals. He has extensive experience as a teacher and consultant in the traditional areas of forensic psychiatry, as well as workplace violence, threat assessment, impaired professionals, and employment discrimination.
LUNA CENTIFANTI, PhD
Senior Lecturer; Senior Research Tutor DClinPsych
Formerly Luna C. Muñoz, is an American ex-pat living in Europe since 2005. She got a Bachelor’s degree from State University of New York at Stony Brook and then received her MSc from Pennsylvania State University. She went down to New Orleans to work with Professor Paul Frick and received her PhD in 2005. After a two-year post-doc in Sweden (at the Center for Developmental Research – Örebro University), she worked as a Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire and University of Durham in the UK. She came to Liverpool as a Senior Lecturer in 2016. She also is a Research Tutor on the DClinPsyc programme.
Lillyth quillan
Founder of Parents of Children with Conduct Disorder
Lillyth Quillan was the first parent to publicly use her name and her face and say she was the mother of a child with Conduct Disorder. In 2014, she created and founded Parents of Children with Conduct Disorder (PCCD), a Facebook-based support group for parents and other caregivers of these children. Over the last six years, Lillyth has personally spoken or communicated with thousands of families. She remains as dedicated to the cause of including non-intimate partner violence in the national Domestic Violence conversation, early treatment for our children, and political action as the day she started PCCD.
Jamie Townsend
Practicing Attorney
Jamie Townsend is a practicing attorney who has advocated for equal rights and a better understanding of psychopaths since being diagnosed with psychopathy in 2010. She's an aunt of 19, member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon), and also serves on the board of the pro bono legal services non-profit You Are a Force Foundation.

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