Psychopathy with Michael A. Cummings M.D.

In this episode, Dr. Cummings and I discuss psychopathy: the fearless, empathyless people, who see others as objects, and have the inability to attach within relationships. Dr. Michael Cummings recently contributed to a book called “Violence in Psychiatry,” detailing the biological aspects of psychopathy, edited by Stephen Stahl. Dr. Cummings works at Patton State Hospital, one of the biggest forensic hospitals in the world. He is the Yoda of the psychiatric world, with many other psychiatrists bringing him their most complex and difficult cases.    In this episode we cover: History of psychopathy Influence of early life traumas Prosocial careers of psychopaths Biological components in psychopathy The emotion psychopaths fail to see BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) Prefrontal area (the parent of the brain that warns us “that is not a good idea”) Amygdala Why psychopathy has not been bred out of existence Advice when you are in a relationship with a psychopath What drugs make someone look psychopathic Effect of alcohol andmethamphetamines on the brain Influence of cocaine on the brain Why more men are violent psychopaths And treatment of this group of people (clozapine’s influence on glutamate) The Story of Phineas Gage We also wrestle with how to increase the percentage of psychopaths that end up helping society vs percentage that become criminals. Warburton, K and Stahl S (Editors).  Violence in Psychiatry.  The Neurobiology of Psychopathy. Cambridge University Press 2016), pp. 200-05 CV of Dr. Michael A. Cummings      Join David on Instagram: dr.davidpuder Twitter: @DavidPuder Facebook: DrDavidPuder Editor: Trent Jones *This podcast is for informational purposes only and is the opinions of the people on this episode.  For full disclaimer go here.