Personality disorders are a particularly complex part of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association. It’s become fairly common to see clinical terms related to personality disorders thrown around TikTok and Instagram, but not everyone using the term is using it in the correct context.
A woman diagnosed with a narcissist shared a riddle that could tell if you’re a psychopath.
Jacob Skidmore posts on TikTok under the username “The Nameless Narcissist.” He uses the clinical diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder as an entry point for creating content on the various nuances of narcissism. He explains how he enters and experiences this world, focusing primarily on how his diagnosis affects his ability to maintain relationships.
Skidmore photographed herself sitting in a beige room sparsely decorated with maps on one wall and calendars on the other. on a TikTok posthe declared, “If you can answer this riddle correctly, that’s a big sign that you’re a psychopath.”
He cautioned about the enigmatic nature of the study, saying “there are no studies to verify it.” Mr Skidmore said: But with that being said, the only people in my life who can give an accurate answer are me, who has been diagnosed as a narcissist, and my sister, who has been diagnosed with ASPD, aka sociopathy. So take it as you please. ”
“So a woman went to her mother’s funeral and met a man she’d never met before and they hit it off really well,” he introduced the riddle. “It’s like, this woman is thinking, ‘Oh my God, this person could be my soulmate.'” But she forgot his name and phone number until after the funeral. I did not notice. She has no idea who this man is, and if you ask anyone, they don’t know. ”
“Next week she will murder her sister,” he declared. “So the mystery is why did she do that? Why did she kill her sister?”
He offered a cryptic answer, stating, “If she killed her sister, it is highly likely that the man would also appear at this funeral, given the blood relationship between her and her mother.”
Skidmore went on to reveal that the answer was obvious to him and he was able to answer it immediately. He said his sister, who claimed to have a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, “was so obvious that she answered the question very slowly because she thought it was a trick question.” .
From his point of view, the woman in the enigma does not appear to be particularly psychopathic, he says, “more like Machiavellian traits than psychopathy.” Still, I think this is a fun little riddle. ”
Being able to answer riddles is not a diagnosis in any way.
This riddle is more of a thought experiment than a legitimate clinical tool.
Most of the comments on this post claimed the answer to the mystery was obvious, with most coming to the same conclusion that the woman murdered her sister in hopes that the mystery man would come to her funeral. .
“Oh, are we thinking in terms of reality?” someone asked. “I was like, ‘This guy is dead.'”
One woman explained, “I said we would meet again soon.” “But I think this just shows good logical skills, because just because you know the answer doesn’t mean you have to think it’s moral.”
Her comments on enigmatic moral politics raise valuable points that touch on issues of empathy and psychopathy. Article published in March 2022 American Psychological Association He noted that various aspects of psychopathy include “low levels of empathy and self-remorse, grandiosity, impulsivity, and possibly aggressive or violent behavior.”
In that article, the APA stated, “Approximately 1.2% of adult males in the United States and 0.3% to 0.7% of adult females in the United States are believed to have clinically significant levels of psychopathic features. ‘ said. They explain that “psychopathy is not a diagnostic category” in the current DSM, and that “the third edition focuses primarily on behavioral aspects of psychopathy, such as aggression, impulsivity, and violence.” (ASPD),” he said. about the rights of others. ”
There are significant social and cultural stigma against psychopathy as a concept and diagnosis. Some clinicians believe that psychopathology exists along different spectrums. Not everyone in the mental health community agrees with that assessment, but most agree that “the field tends to be underfunded and undertreated” and ultimately poorly understood. agrees.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango’s news and entertainment team. She covers mental health, pop culture analysis, and all things entertainment industry related.
