From a teen in the Netherlands: For about 4 years now i’ve had certain problems concerning my behaviour towards things such as. People, rules, and responsibilities. I’ve never been close to anyone not even my family. I don’t know why, they seem like an ordinary family to me yet I dont feel anything for them. They could disappear and I wouldn’t mind a bit.
Then there are friends again I don’t care for them. They are replaceable. If any of them stop being my friend i’ll just make a new one. I’ve had enough trouble with my school making it so that if I don’t change my ways i’ll have to go to a new one. Which doesn’t consern me. Like I said friends are replaceable. And to be honest this school is boring me anyways. So I thought that it was quite nice of them to expel me.
The reason for me getting expelled and having trouble at my school is not because i get into fights, insult teachers, or have bad grades. On the contrary i’m very passive, the teachers love me, and my grades are excelent. But the problem is that I don’t complete any assignments. I just can’t be botherd with waisting my time on them.
I also manipulate the people around me for example my mother. She now does my job for me. I also steal from my friends and other random people at my school if I need or want anything. I love me ofcourse. And think i’m one of the greatest and smartest people in the world.
I have no empathy for anyone. To me it doesn’t matter if anyone except for myself gets hurt. As for love I don’t. Ofcourse I sometimes fake it to gain something. Or just because i’m bored. To me it doesn’t matter what gender the person is. But because i’m in highschool i’m not going to risk my popularity. So i wont date the same sex as me.
I get bored extremely quick and as a result I exhibit impulsive behaviour. I throw things out of proportion when i tell stuff about myself. But i’m sure that’s normal as alot of people do that.
So those are reasons as to why i think i’m a sociopath. But since i’m just a teenager I want a specialists opinion rather than my own.
At 15, you are too young to be diagnosed as a sociopath. The feelings/thought/behaviors you describe are consistent with “conduct disorder”. That being said, the label doesn’t really matter. What matters is that the path you are on will make trouble for you for your whole life if you don’t do something about it.
I’m very worried about you. Despite your protests to the contrary, you are too — or you would not have written to us.
You are smart, insightful and young — all promising criteria for benefitting from therapy. I hope you love yourself enough to get yourself into treatment so you can live a long and happy life.
I wish you well.
Dr. Marie
