![]() Not all psychopaths morph into criminals or serial killers, experts tell WebMD. "Nobody would have called Dennis Rader a psychopath before he got arrested," he says. Welner is also an adjunct professor of law at Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh. "Psychopaths wear the mask of sanity," agrees Michael Welner, MD, a forensic psychiatrist and an associate professor of psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine in New York City. Serial killers often "don't look like sociopaths or deranged killers, because if they looked like monsters, they would be apprehended almost immediately," Levin says. "He looked beyond suspicion, he was active in the church, a Boy Scout leader and a compliance officer, and that is the secret to the success." "Rader, like so many of the others, was extraordinarily ordinary," Levin says. Some psychopaths and serial killers may appear outwardly successful and 'normal'. "There is a stereotypical view that serial killers are loners, antisocial, and unable to maintain any relations, but that's mythology," Levin says. These personality disorders are marked by antisocial and impulsive behavior, disregard for societal standards, and no indications of fear or guilt. That's according to experts and the professional bible of mental illnesses - the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). "He held this close to his vest for three decades." Psychopaths May Appear Outwardly SuccessfulĪs many as 5% of people display psychopathic or sociopathic personality disorders. "For a person with a conscience, Rader's crimes seem hideous, but from his point of view, these are his greatest accomplishments and he is anxious to share all of the wonderful things he has done," Levin tells WebMD. Even Rader's gory name he created for himself, BTK ("bind, torture, kill") - is an example of a psychopath's pride in his work. Levin said that serial killer Dennis Rader's cool and dispassionate detailing in a Kansas courthouse last year of his 10 murders was not surprising for a psychopath. He's the director of the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict at Northeastern University in Boston and the author of several books on serial killers, including Extreme Killings. Jack Levin, PhD, knows a lot about psychopaths and serial killers. ![]()
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