'Sociopath" with Patric Gagne

I am joined by amazing author, Patrick Gagne. Patrick, how are you? Very well. Thank you so much. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to come on and chat about something that isn't easily talked about. Um, you do have a book out called sociopath and it is pretty much based on you, your diagnosis at a fairly young age and how it affected, you know, your personal life, your work relationships. So tell us a little bit about who you are and a little bit about what into writing your story. I am normal by, by, you know, by every, in every sense of the word, I represent a neurotypical person and yet I am neurodivergent. And this is what most people like me. This balance is what we struggle to achieve in that we understand that as neurodivergence, we don't experience emotion in the same way that neurotypical people do. We don't experience the world the same way that neurotypical people do. And the reason that I wrote my book is because sociopathy and psychopathy for the most part are perceived as, as evil. The words are synonymous with monster. And I wanted to show people that you can live a very high functioning life with this diagnosis, which is inconsistent with what most people have come to understand related to psychopathy. What do you think is the myth, the biggest misconception when it comes to those who are diagnosed with this? There is nothing inherently immoral about having limited access to emotion. Okay. Not all sociopaths and psychopaths are dangerous criminals. These extremes comprise a small fraction of the sociopathic picture, and yet they've been misappropriated to define everyone with the disorder. The reality is, is that most people who struggle with sociopathy, psychopathy or antisocial personality disorder, most of the people that fall into those categories are not dangerous criminals. You know, the research indicates that the majority of people that are, that fall under those umbrellas fall on the mild to moderate side of what is considered a spectrum. They are not dangerous. They are not criminals. And yet by virtue of the fact that psychopathy and sociopathy have become synonymous with evil, they can't get the help and the treatment that is so desperately needed. What's some of the feedback that you've received, you know, since you took the time to kind of deep dive into telling your story and the importance of shedding the light on this and, you know, not stereotyping anybody or making them feel less than, Oh, because you know, they come out with all these documentaries of, Oh, this serial killer was like this, or this serial killer was like that. What is some of the feedback that you've gotten from book lovers, from fans, from people that have reached out to you after this? Largely gratitude because research indicates that sociopaths, psychopaths and people suffering from antisocial personality disorder make up roughly 5% of the population. Now considering that most of the screening for these disorders take place within the prison system, there is no way that that number isn't much higher, but let's just assume it's 5%. These are people for whom treatment is possible. And yet treatment is largely not offered. So, so many people who identify with my story, so many people who have loved ones who they can see in my story or identify with in my story, they have reached out because for the first time they feel seen. And that is the sole reason that I wrote the book. I wanted people to understand that they were not alone, that treatment was possible, that they are not irredeemable, which is some, which is a word that is used a lot to describe this population. And just, I know that for me personally, once I understood that about myself, it took so much air out of the psychological balloon. I felt, I felt more empowered and I felt as though I had the agency to, to investigate myself and, and understand myself better. And that's what I am seeing across the world with people that have read my book and resonate with it. And what's the biggest lesson out of your book that you hope people who aren't diagnosed with this takes away from it. And even though it's your story, what is the biggest lesson that you've learned over time after seeing everything put on paper? The biggest takeaway is that someone with a diagnosis of sociopathy or psychopathy can live a really high functioning life. And again, that is inconsistent with what a lot of people think and understand. That's what I wrote my book to let people know that there's hope that it is not a one-way ticket, that there are treatment plans that are not just available, but successful. And with every day we're moving closer to normalizing, not the behavior, but the psychological conditions so that more people can get access to those treatment plans. And you know, with you, you know, like I mentioned earlier, you know, with you being diagnosed, you know, so young, I love that you were able to take your story and not even just the book alone, but you've done work, you know, in this field, you've done the research, you you're an advocate for those who don't have a voice for their self, who are suffering through this or who may feel indifferent. And I just want to commend you for that because a lot of times these topics aren't easily or readily talked about. They're kind of brushed under the rug. And so thank you for the work that you're doing in this community, you know, for everybody that's in there. And even for the ones that's not diagnosed with it, maybe they will be in the future. You never know, but for informing those who aren't aware of everything that comes along with it as well. I appreciate that. But I would like to say there is absolutely nothing special or unique about me. Anyone with my disorder could have told this story, some version of this story. And I hope they do because to your point, even neurotypical people find things to identify with in this journey. And I feel if more people can start speaking about it openly, then there will be so much more understanding between neurodivergent and neurotypical people. And Patrick, before I let you go, is there anything else that you would like to say, you know, to fellow book lovers out there or just anyone that's watching and listening? Just because someone feels differently doesn't mean their feelings don't count. And I think that the more we can really internalize that statement and understand it, the better off we will be as a society. Well, Patrick, thank you so much for the work that you're doing and for taking the time to come and chat with me and fellow book lovers out there. I greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me.