Talk:A Bad Kind of Idol/@comment-26844173-20150815035257

Interesting concept. Not unique, it's been done a lot. But pretty well written and nice little twist.

Just a couple of things. I hope they are helpful.

Firstly, it's not really correct to say "scared out of his/her wits"; more correctly, you should use the 3rd person plural, "their", instead, as you are talking about multiple people. His/her refers to 3rd person singular instead. It's also nicer to read.

Secondly, there's no difference between a sociopath and a psychopath really. They both suffer from extreme antisocial personality disorders which means they lack any empathy. They are perfectly sane, totally lucid (assuming they have no other coexisting psychiatric diagnoses) and know right from wrong. But they simply don't care to put other people's needs first unless it has some benefit for them. They can, sometimes, seem very glib and charming, but it's all an act. They can be very successful at business, in politics, anything needing a ruthless streak to get a job done. However, others are very disorganised and get caught up in criminality from a young age. Most of them, however, are not murderers or even physically dangerous (mentally is another matter, they can be very cruel, like a cat playing with a terrified mouse). The only difference between a sociopath and a psychopath is linguistic. Some in the psychology field base their use on cause, suggesting psychopaths are born, but sociopaths are made; that's very oversimplified though, as it usually needs a collection of influences - genetic, physical and social - to trigger psychopathy. Others divide them based on whether they are organised and plan their actions versus those who are impulsive and rash. However, this is, again, oversimplified, as there is a continuum of symptoms, rather than two or three clear pigeon holes. Finally, psychopathy is far from rare. You've almost certainly met (or will do soon) one - it may be an emotionally abusive partner, friend or family member who manipulates you for their own benefits. It may be that horrible boss who takes credit for everything and does nothing, but the higher management love. Or it may be that sleazy salesman who sent a shiver through you but everyone else thought was charming and extra helpful. They may represent up to 1% of the population.

On the other hand, you may have been confusing psychopathy with psychosis. Psychosis is a mental illness that causes someone to struggle to separate reality from imagination. They may hallucinate and see, hear, feel, smell or even taste things that aren't there. They may have delusions, believing things that aren't true, such as the radio is controlling their brain, or that everyone is out to hurt them, or that they have a really important job to do from a deity, aliens, or some other authority. They may find it difficult to hold a conversation, sometimes talking in non sequiturs or even complete gibberish (word salad). The most well known psychosis is schizophrenia and similar disorders, but it can be caused by everything from extreme sleep deprivation, drug reactions, extremely severe depression or even after having a baby in rare cases. People who are psychotic may pose a risk to others, but are far more likely to harm nobody or themselves. In fact, schizophrenia sufferers are far more likely to be killed than those without the diagnosis. And while their illness can, on rare occasions, cause them to hurt or kill, they are not mentally competent because they may not understand that their action was wrong or would result in death. This is in drastic contrast to most serial murderers, who know their actions are wrong, they are fully in touch with reality, and do it either because it is the most efficient means of getting something, or because - in a few cases - they find it sexually arousing.

However in the case of those with psychosis and those with psychopathy, the majority don't kill anyone.

Hope that helps. :-) keep writing!