Diagnosed sociopath claims five events in her childhood led to her disorder

A woman who lives with a condition that makes it hard for her to feel emotions like empathy and regret has pointed to key moments in her childhood that she believes led to her becoming a sociopath.

Former Miss Universe competitor Anika Batra often speaks candidly about her diagnosed mental disorder, which is no longer described as sociopathy by medical professionals who prefer the term Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) as it carries less stigma.

Anika explained to LADBible Stories that people living with ASPD are 'characterized by a lack of empathy, guilt, and remorse' and do not have 'what people like to call a conscience,' adding that an overlooked sociopathic trait can even be seen in someone's eyes.

But she didn't just wake up one day and feel no empathy for her fellow human beings, Anika has said she learned at 21 that she was a sociopath and believes that five traumatic moments in her early life led to her diagnosis.

Anika shared how her childhood turned her into someone living with ASPD, which used to be called sociopathy (YouTube)

The former model from Australia, who now shares her lived experience on social media to show the different way that someone with ASPD approaches life, said of the first traumatic event: "I was 10 years old when my grandfather took his last breath in front of me."

She said part of her shock was that 'he was so fit' but that he 'mysteriously passed from malnutrition'. Compounding this, he was living as a Yogi in India, where he was ultimately cremated.

But remembering that pivotal moment in her YouTube Short, Anika said that until his body was cremated she had though he was 'just sleeping'.

Psychologists currently believe that the causes of sociopathy are a complex mixture of genetic factors and childhood abuse or neglect, which for some people will alter the way their brain develops, making ASPD more likely.

"When I was younger, if I cried, I wouldn't get comforted," Anika said of the second childhood cause, sharing that instead she would be 'punished and yelled at'. The former Miss Universe finalist claimed this 'stunted the development of my amygdala' - the region of the brain responsible for empathy.

The third contributing factor was her 'conduct disorder' when she was younger, which is a term that covers the frequent lying and use of physical violence that is typical in children who develop sociopathic traits.

"I would thrive on chaos because it would alleviate the boredom that I would always experience," Anika shared. Chronic boredom is one of the more unique symptoms of ASPD, which is believed to lead to compulsive and dangerous behavior.

The fourth and fifth key events in Anika's childhood development that she believes caused her condition are the most traumatic, as she saw a great deal of extreme domestic violence (DV) when she was younger.

"DV was normal in my extended family," she shared, detailing how she saw two generations of women in her family suffer abuse at the hands of their husbands.

Not only did she see her mom suffer violence, Anika said, she also witness her grandma getting her 'face smashed in' after putting garlic in her grandfather's food.

Studies in recent years have backed up this claim, with a study of prison inmates living with ASPD-related conditions finding that many were not just the victims of abuse, but also witnesses to it at home.

Pointedly, after laying out a litany of reasons she became a sociopath, Anika said: "But sure, Jesus can fix ASPD."