When people confuse autism with psychopath...

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I don't know if it's ever happened to any of you, but I've been called a "psychopath" for just being quiet or not interacting at all. I admit it's a very heavy term to apply to someone in the spectrum and when it happens I get no reaction. What to do?

Smile slightly, make eye contact and wink.

Then comment on how if you were really a psychopath that would have seemed much more fluid and natural.

Bonus points if it does play off as natural, because then you just told them you are a psychopath and they'd best stay out of your way.

Yes, psychopaths are actually very charming, at least up to the point they kill you...

You can also tell them Sir Anthony Hopkins is autistic: he only plays the psychopath in the movies...

This has happened to me before and I never know how to respond. I usually just get silently frustrated and try to ignore them. When I was in school people even took it a step further a few times and joked that I'd become a school shooter.

THe confusion comes from Psychopathic people lacking empathy but being heavy on sympathy while autistic people might have a hard time picking up on other people's emotions and expressing that empathy they feel. Like unless people are crying our screaming at me it can be hard for me to tell but once i pick up on it i feel empathy. I thin that's where the confusion comes from.

perfect.

this needs to be on the main page in big purple letters, with a gif of Barney doing the cha-cha beside it, for extra attention.

Way back when, it was called "autistic psychopathy", but at that time "psychopathy" was just a generic term for mental illness.

Psychopaths don't have a conscience.
Those on the spectrum invariably/overwhelmingly do.

It’s not just NTs I’ve heard autistic people say they are psychopath as well probably not understanding the difference between problems with theory of mind and devious charm and manipulation to get what you want.

That said I personally believe the Neurodiversity paradigm has narcissistic elements to it. Narcissism is a close cousin of psychopathy so it’s not like we all get off free as they say.

However it’s probably just down to poor theory of mind and ignorance in understanding others needs and wants that may differ from your own rather than any deliberate act against those worse off.

Ignore them and move on with your life.  I get called all kinds of names for doing the right thing, doing the wrong thing, doing everything, and doing nothing at all.  Some people just like to call other people names (it makes them feel important, I guess), especially when the people they are "naming" are doing much better than they (it sucks to be them, I guess).

I don't really think 'psychpath' means what they think it means.

"Psychopath" means being very irrational and/or insane, and are intent on hurting others just for their own gain/amusement.

It is completely archaic to associate autism with psychopathy

Die autistischen psychopathen im kindesalter Von Hans Asperger is and out dated book and theory.

I’ve been mislabeled as a psycho, narcissist, sociopath, as well as other generic adjectives (weird, crazy, etc). It seems to me that people are afraid of what they don’t understand and we are collectively very misunderstood people. In reality I am very kind and friendly. I just don’t express it like a NT would. Also, it became apparent to me years ago that NTs have the need to label everything and everyone in their environment in order to bring them comfort, I guess. I don’t personally feel the need to label everyone and file them in some sort of folder in my head. I guess that’s why I don’t understand racism, homophobia, xenophobia, or sexism. People are all the same mysterious entity, to me, no matter what they look like or prefer.

I met a psychopath before (thankfully he isn't in my life any more), and although not all psychopaths have these traits, he had these traits:-

- Uses gullible women just to pay for his luxuries
- Compulsive and convincing liar (comes across as charming or innocent)
- Convinces others (especially women) to believe that they are worthless and flawed
- Conman
- Bullies women but makes out he's the victim
- Incapable of actually loving a woman
- Very controlling, hits women if they don't obey his orders
- Paedophilic (known to groom little girls and teenage girls)
- Intelligent, but doesn't use it for good use

There is NO WAY that these are autistic traits too. If an autistic does have these traits then it's NOT due to their autism, that person will just happen to be a psychopath.

Last edited by Joe90 on 20 Aug 2020, 5:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Could an Aspie caught up in a highly emotionally charged situation, misreading every sign and gesture, eventually lash out in frustration and self-defense? They might be labeled a psycho...path for handling the emotional interpretation so badly.

I used to do that a lot when I was younger. It hasn't happened in a few years. hopefully it won't ever happen again. It's not fun. I've been called a psycho for that before.

Flip side of that, I've been called a psycho for not reacting to something when others think I should have a reaction.

I don't think I'm saying that right. It's more like, I might be having a reaction, but it's not outwardly visible so I come across as apathetic, disturbing, or something. My face/actions don't always match my internal thoughts. It unnerves people sometimes.