Sociopath
My diagnosis: ADHD, OCD, PTSD, ARFID, Bipolar, insomnia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and am currently being tested for High Functioning Autism.
My whole life, I’ve always been able to empathize for people. And I do feel bad for them. But then I do these things or I lie to them for my own benefit and don’t feel bad about it 95% of the time. Some of my favorite activities are charity and volunteer work. Yet, I always find myself saying or doing bad and wrong things. I think I may be a sociopath. Does anyone else here struggle with this? Is it just a culmination of all my disorders combined? Or am I genuinely a sociopath?
@lostbug2000 my guess is sociopaths don’t worry about whether they are sociopaths, so I would guess you’re not. But you may want to explore further with a therapist if you feel your relationships with people aren’t what you think they should be.
@lostbug2000
I second the idea of talking with a therapist if it feels like a big concern, especially with there being so many other diagnoses floating around that could possibly be contributing factors. (For example, maybe the suspected autism could lead to lacking empathy in certain situations, or ADHD could lead to impulsive behavior and only later reflecting on whether it was right/wrong.)
I'd say though that most of the people on this site I've interacted with who have been diagnosed ASPD probably would not volunteer that they've always been able to empathize with people and feel bad for them.