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

By listening to this episode, you can earn 1 Psychiatry CME Credits.

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Editor: Trent Jones

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