I Think I’m a Sociopath

I’m 14 years old, I’ve recently suffered a harsh breakup, my cat (who’s been in the family for as long as I can remember) died, my family pretty much hates me, and my best friend thinks I’m a total ass. Yet, I don’t get upset over any of this, nor do I really care about any of them, to be honest.

I can make jokes out of the most offensive situations, and sometimes I say insensitive things that even make members of my family cry. I just sit there while they cry, without a care in the world. One time I even laughed at them.I always have this feeling that nothing is sad, nothing is scary, nothing makes me angry, etc. I feel like I have no real emotions.

That’s not to say I have NO emotions, though. I can laugh at jokes, have a great time with friends and family, and other pleasant emotions.

It’s just with those negative ones. I feel no guilt, no sadness, no anger; none of that. I feel like such an empty shell. I make decisions easily, never regretting anything, and I laugh at anyone’s misfortune (A kid in my Gym class fell and broke his leg. I had to leave the area so I could laugh in private).

What the hell is wrong with me? Normal people get angry, they get offended, they get sad, they cry. I do none of this, and never really have since I was 8. Frankly, I doubt I’ll even care about this issue by tomorrow, but the curiosity will still pang in my head:

Am I a Sociopath?

-Will

Dear Will,

Thanks for sharing your situation with me and the fact that you question whether or not you are a sociopath probably indicates you aren’t. Sociopaths wouldn’t think that they are sociopaths and they wouldn’t even recognize that a part of them is a little off.

It sounds like to me, without knowing much about your background, that you may have faced some sort of trauma earlier in your childhood, which, as a way of self-preservation, you shut down your negative emotions. In cases like yours a counselor would explore your past and determine whether or not this has happened and then teach you to release the emotions that were shut down and also teach you how to be in touch with emotion in the present.

If this isn’t the case then there could possibly be some sort of chemical imbalance going on, which again, a counselor/ or psychiatrist would be able to assess. I can’t really address this too well in this format but I encourage you to take some steps to sort this issue out because emotions, even the negative ones, are what makes us feel alive. The biggest step in solving this problem has already been accomplished by you and that is recognizing that something is wrong and having the desire to change. Perhaps you could begin by talking to a school counselor or ask your parents to take you to a counselor?

Kindest regards,

Ted