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The Incidence of Sociopathy in Nigeria; Negligence and Impact of Religion

We have probably stared murderers and rapists in the eye as we walked past them on the street without even knowing. In a country like Nigeria with heavy cultural expectations hinged on respect, you might have even wished them a jolly ‘Good Afternoon, Sah/Ma' and continued on your way, oblivious to the intents of their minds.

Same for sociopaths. Ditto for psychopaths.

Contrary to the idea peddled by movies and content on the internet, Anti-social Personality Disorder or Sociopathy, doesn’t imply that the sufferers go on a killing rampage everyday. While some with the severe version of it might, there is still a distinction between psychopaths and sociopaths.

Sociopathy can be defined as a mental health disorder characterized by disregard for other people.

Furthermore, sociopaths tend to exhibit a lack of empathy, feelings for others, a knack for manipulation and lies, coupled with glibness and superficial charm which makes others attracted to them the first time. Sociopaths often possess megalomania but not as severe as that of narcissists. Their inability to feel deeply stirs them towards taking risks and breaking laws without giving a thought to the consequences or how it affects others.

A number of these traits intersects with those presented by psychopaths. However, a major difference is that psychopaths are basically born that way, while sociopaths are made mostly due to childhood trauma and a skewed life coping mechanism. Also, psychopaths generally operate more smoothly than sociopaths. The former bases every action on precision and cold calculation. Most serial killers whose names are forever etched in the history of time are psychopaths. Point in case– Ted Bundy. Well, they aren’t always serial killers for one. They could be your favorite politician, entertainer, boss, or your next door neighbours.

Psychopaths are also proven to be more successful, because they have a laser like focus and are not afraid to step on people to get what they want.

For a disorder whose prevalence is common– more than 100,000 per year, and which holds severe implications for the society, ASPD, like other mental health challenges, is really ignored in Nigeria.

It is important to note that a person might exhibit some traits of sociopathy, they should not be labeled as one until they have been examined and diagnosed by a professional.

I am fascinated by serial killer documentaries and movies based on them, owing to the fact that the way their mind works is plain crazy and so intricately mesmerizing. But my attention was whirled deeper into the vortex of curiosity when I applied it to situations around me. In ‘The Sociopath Next Door' written by Harvard University psychologist, Martha Stout, 1 out of every 25 Americans is a sociopath. This excludes people that are professionally diagnosed.

If such a staggering statistics exists in the U.S which is a first world country with an exemplary societal structuring where attention is paid to the health of the citizens and visits to a therapists are not regarded as a taboo, what would be the statistic for a country like Nigeria where poverty thrives and drives people into the murky waters of violence?

If childhood traumas are a major cause, what would be the fate of most Nigerians who had a childhood filled with physical and mental abuse hiding under the guise of the religious indictment to not ‘spare the rod and spoil the child?’

Apart from the parents, most schools until recent had inhumane punishments meted out on students. Boarding schools are a haven for injustice and wickedness based off an archaic hierarchy of seniors and juniors.

Imagine the throng of people walking about with scores of undiagnosed mental illnesses, taking it out on each other, creating a network of sociopaths, triggering the start button of those born with innate psychopathy. All these circulating madness, yet no one pays even an inkling of attention to it. Even if they do, it is not enough.

As with other mental illnesses, the shackles of religion would ensure that sociopathy is viewed as an anathema, a curse, a taboo to be abolished by prayers or worse, isolation of that child.

That erring child, that black sheep of the family who no one has ever seemed to comprehend may be suffering from a mental illness. Channeling our energies towards finding a spiritual causation for phenomena we can not understand is and will always be an impediment to the growth and development of Nigeria as a country. Without a desire to nurture our curiosity, we would continue to pirouette on one spot while the whole world moves by in a blur.

Everyday we hear news of vile things happening around us, and we shudder in disgust and pour our outrage in social media. What if we take a moment to discover and curb the causes of such? What if we trace the source down to that organ in our heads which controls our actions and inactions?

In Daniel Amen’s TED talk, ‘The most important lesson from 83000 brain scans’, we are shown a whole new perspective of how we understand mental health. Why do therapists make diagnoses without the use of brain scans when they are revealing of structures in the brains that may be damaged?

Depression, OCD, ADHD, and even psychopathy can be revealed in a brain scan, yet, therapists and psychologists throw darts blindly in the dark when the possibility of a streamlined diagnosis exists.

We need to pay more attention to what goes on in our heads and that of out loved ones. Our economic situation makes us work hastily, in a bid to send for ourselves and afford the most basic necessities, such that issues such as these are relegated to the background.

I had a grand idea to make a comprehensive research on how ASPD affects us in Nigeria but I realized that perhaps, I could start by talking about it. The sufferers are everywhere around us. They may be the men we have loved and dated who manipulated us and gained an inflated sense of importance by shrinking us. It may be our mother who has not the least idea of how to be one. We call her selfish, we label her callous and wicked. And we can never, never seem to comprehend why people around is act that way. Perhaps this may give us a clue even though it might not be absolute. Additionally, when we understand these things, we have a chance to protect ourselves from suffering emotional trauma under sociopaths.

Let this be known. There are sociopaths in Nigeria, and they deserve attention too.