A woman who claims she has been diagnosed as a “psychopath” revealed the signs she believes were indicative of her mental disorder since childhood.
In the video, captioned, “I was obsessed with a lot of things as a kid,” user @VicThePath caught people’s attention by sharing her “morbid” childhood interests.
“When I was in the third grade, we had a book fair at school, and I remember seeing this little black book called The Holocaust and being really intrigued by it,” she said in the clip, which has received thousands of comments.
“After that, I was so fascinated by the subject. Even when I was in eighth grade, I went on a DC trip and opted to go to the Holocaust Museum over the Smithsonian.
“I was really into the Holocaust when I was a kid, not really World War II as a whole, but specifically the Holocaust.”
Image credits: victhepath
The young woman added that she was diagnosed with “one of the most dangerous antisocial personality disorders (ASPD),” the diagnostic category that replaced “psychopathy” in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V).
She said she received the diagnosis at the age of 19 after a string of “risky ” acts "landed [her] in the hospital."
When she was eight years old, she was also interested in the Brothers Grimm's fairy tales, known as the disturbing stories that inspired many Disney classics, like Tangled and The Princess and the Frog.
“It might not be a shock after my first admission… but I had a massive book with all the original fairy tales in it,” Vic said.
“They are extremely morbid. They’re not very PG like the fairy tales we read now.
“I used to read it all the time.”
Vic said she was "fascinated" by the Holocaust when she was eight years old
Image credits: victhepath
Image credits: Pixabay/Pexels
The TikToker’s other childhood interests include the history of the Romanov family—the imperial house of Russia whose members were murdered by Bolshevik soldiers in 1918—and Greek mythology, particularly the story of the Labyrinth commissioned for King Minos of Crete to hold the Minotaur.
“The Hunger Games is slightly based on the Labyrinth: the idea of putting kids in the arena until they die,” she said.
She was also interested in the Brothers Grimm's fairy tales, known as the disturbing stories that inspired many Disney classics
Image credits: victhepath
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons
“The last special interest is the Aztec and Mayan Empires. I was really, really intrigued by the whole human sacrifice thing.”
People with psychopathic traits display a range of disconcerting tendencies, such as low empathy and remorse, grandiosity, impulsivity, and sometimes aggressive or violent behavior, as per the American Psychological Association (APA). For instance, Vic’s obsession and fascination with real or fictional murderous acts involving torture and pain are examples of this behavior.
"The last special interest is the Aztec and Mayan Empires. I was really, really intrigued by the whole human sacrifice thing," the young woman added
Image credits: Marv Watson/Unsplash
Image credits: victhepath
However, though the term conjures up images of Hannibal Lecter-esque serial killers, it’s important to note there exist varying degrees and types of this mental disorder and that the condition can be treated.
Also, many people display signs associated with the mental disorder without being psychopathic.
Watch Vic's viral video below
People with psychopathic traits display a range of disconcerting tendencies, such as low empathy and remorse, grandiosity, impulsivity, and sometimes violent behavior
According to the organization, about 1.2% of US adult men and 0.3% to 0.7% of US adult women are considered to have clinically significant levels of psychopathic traits.
Those numbers rise exponentially in prison, where 15% to 25% of inmates show these characteristics.
