Psychologist shares how to spot if someone you live near is a psychopath
Someone near you is apparently a psychopath, and it's very possible that you've had what you would have thought to be normal and likely even pleasant interactions with them.
According to awareness group PsychopathyIs, around 30 percent of people have some level of psychopathic traits, though only about 0.6 percent of Brits could actually be classed as a psychopath.
That doesn't sound like many, but stick you in a room with 100 people and there's going to be a decent chance that there's a psychopath among you.
Advert
Then think of all the people you pass when out and about and the chances of you having an encounter with one are almost inevitable.
You might even live very near a psychopath and you probably never knew it all this time.
Writing in Psychology Today, psychologist Professor Kurt W Ela, of the Georgetown University School of Medicine, explained how you might be able to spot a psychopath living near you.
He first stressed that psychopaths were not necessarily violent, so anyone fearing that Tim from two doors down is going to come and murder you while you sleep can rest easy.
Some of the signs Professor Ela explained you could watch out for included someone asking you for favours or special treatment in the neighbourhood and not being willing to return the aforementioned favour.
He explained that you could also get a gut feeling about people if their emotions seemed 'off' or you just felt uncomfortable around them without knowing exactly why.
A neighbour who just didn't show any interest in you or your life might also be a psychopath, though as always with these things it's best not to go diagnosing the entire neighbourhood because your cheery wave was not met with an equally enthusiastic greeting.
As for what to do about it, the psychologist recommended that you set out clear boundaries which leave no room for manipulation.
He also suggested you didn't share personal information if you were getting a bad feeling from someone as that might have given them ammunition against you.
Another thing to try was to simply avoid confrontation with them, just leave them in peace and don't interact with them as getting on their bad side can lead to the situation escalating very rapidly.
Other psychologists have come up with signs that you might be interacting with a psychopath, while a diagnosed psychopath said he thought it helped him be a life coach.
Whether your neighbour is a psychopath or not it's probably for the best not to get into too much drama with them, your neighbour doesn't have to be a psychopath to get p***ed off at you for parking in front of their drive.
Topics: Weird, Mental Health
Joe Harker