first of all, for a long time now, i've been fairly sure i'm a psyco/sociopath, or have some other personality disoder. i started doing some research, before which i already knew i had most of the symptoms of psycopathy, and found that psycopaths didnt feel any remorse at all, and i thought i did, if rarely, but then i learned i was confusing remorse with regret which are apparantly not the same thing. or are they? because it seems like they are. anyway, soon after that i read an article that stated psycopaths dont feel anything at all, ever. i do, but noticeably less than others if that makes any sense. then i learned that psycopaths are born psycopaths, and i wasnt always this way, in fact i was a really nice kid. apparantly sociopathy is sort of an aquired condition, which starts at age 15 or 16( my age now)and in some ways the symptoms fit me better, althought the key symptom is also being totally emotionless, which i'm not.
if anyone could tell me which of these things are fact and fiction that would be much appreciated. and if you have an opinion on my diagnosis, feel free to let me know. i know i should go to a doctor, but i really hate seeing psychiatrists. although i guess i'll have to go someday.
thanks in advance for your advice.

You experience emotions but lack the emotional impact others experience?

Patients in whom the spinal cord has been accidentally severed so that they lack feedback from the autonomic nervous system appear to experience a reduction in the intensity of their emotions.

Ever have any childhood accidents? Go see your medical doctor and tell him how you are feeling and what you are experiencing. If anyone can REALLY help you it is a medical doctor. He will be able to determine if you have any real problems with your body that could be causing your condition or if you simply think differently as psychopathy is not a mental illness that causes any unnatural actions and there is no affective treatment for psychopathy. Relax, you are not a psychopath.

But you should see a doctor and discuss this information. If there is no real hope for you.. he'll send you to a psychologist who will try to use mind altering drugs (just like street drugs) to manipulate your ego into believing everything is okay. Cause really the problem is in your head. It doesn't really exist.. but you'll have to pay a lot of money to get that official reading.

So yeah.. go see your family doctor. Here's some fuel for fear. If they diagnose you as a psychopath.. you will never be able to get a job again!!! Literally, don't let them ever officially diagnose you. Humans kill what they fear and rest assured they will try to kill your life out of fear if they can. So it's better to never admit anything and seek other methods of assistance.. like good friends.

thanks for clearing that up, i was a bit worried. as for the childhood accident, i havent had one, but i just took an online personality disorder test (which i'm aware is not an official method of diagnosis, but it shed some light on things.)and my results were along the lines of borderline personality disorder, avoidence disorder and OCD. i guess i should've realized that without the emotionless symptom of psycopathy theres no way i could be, but i was freaking out a bit. and after a bit of thought about my supposed semi-emotional state, (and as i said, i wasnt thinking clearly, once i snapped out of it i was able to realize this fairly quickly.) its not so much that i dont feel as much, its more that i dont express my feelings. i was worried because i have many other "quirks" that could be discribed as psycopathic, i wont go into detail cause i'm a bit ashamed, and those contibuted to my fears of being a psycopath. i feel a bit silly that i made a big deal out of things, but i suppose its hard enough being a 16 year old girl without dealing with possibly being messed up in the head. anyway, thanks for your help.
(god i ramble alot...:P)

Lauren,

I don't believe remorse and regret are so different. Remorse is a species of regret for ones own action, to be clear.

Psychopaths tend to be very emotional, actually.

I suggest you read these articles by Dr. Robert
http://askdrrobert.dr-robert.com/sociopath.html
http://www.askdrrobert.dr-robert.com/valuesandmorals.html
http://www.askdrrobert.dr-robert.com/childofsociopath.html
http://www.askdrrobert.dr-robert.com/twopsychopaths.html

please let us know what you think of them

thats interesting, i always thought all psycopaths were sort of emotionally deaf. as for the articles, i havent read them yet as i have to work soon. ( at mcdonalds. for six hours. sorry in advance if i hang myself and am unable to read them altogether.) also i apreciate you wanting to know my opinion, no adults- I'm assuming you're one, correct me if I'm wrong- ever ask the opinion of someone my age, thinking I'm not smart enough to give a good one, purely based on how young I am. its a little infuriating.

Yeah, I pretty much thought that I was going to have to develop a disorder just to deal with that fact when I was your age. Your welcome.

The articles are pretty much the best thing I've ever read on the topic of soci/psychopathy. A good whetstone if you really think you might be one. And informative if you're not, as you'll most likely meet one at some point.

I am an adult. And I am sorry about McDonalds. Now THAT will make you psychopathic.

I find these "articles" on psychopaths amusing. What little research has been done has been, for the most part, with PRISON population. Stupid criminals go to prison. I would serve maximum sentence that my country allows if my trespasses would come to light but i've never even stepped into a courtroom. People really need to stop thinking movies depict my kind accurately. Even Dr. Robert says that he's experience is mostly with prisoners, again the stupid criminals or those that can't handle their impulses.

I've watched many documentaries and programmes and mostly i just laugh because they handpick the most violent or sadistic cases they can find. Oh well, i guess you need your boogiemen to sell those guns.

Also, you're 16. You brain is starting to take shape and your personality is starting to form. Don't be afraid of everything that differs from your friends or people your age. If you, after serious consideration, think (not feel) that you need help then seek it but don't go to the doctor to look for a pill to make you "normal". Normal is an illusion, everyone is crazy, specially in their teens, in some way.