Strange answers to the psychopath test | Jon Ronson | TED - YouTube

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has expanded from a slim pamphlet in the 1950s to an 886-page volume listing 374 mental disorders. While browsing through a copy, the author humorously discovers he "suffers" from a dozen disorders, questioning whether normal behavior is too often labeled as pathological.

His curiosity leads him to Scientologists, who view psychiatry as a pseudo-science. They introduce him to Tony, a man who faked insanity to avoid prison but ended up trapped in Broadmoor Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Tony's case highlights the difficulty of proving sanity in a system seemingly eager to diagnose madness.

The author learns that 1 in 100 people is a psychopath, a statistic that rises to 4% among CEOs and business leaders. This suggests that capitalist society may inadvertently reward psychopathic traits. He attempts to interview corporate figures, including "Chainsaw Al" Dunlap, suspected of psychopathy due to his ruthless business tactics.

The journey makes the author realize how his role as a journalist has often involved emphasizing the most extreme aspects of personalities. He reflects on the dangers of overdiagnosis, like labeling temperamental children as bipolar, and the tendency to define individuals by their most abnormal behaviors.

After attending Tony's tribunal, where he is released, the author ponders the complexity of human behavior and the problem with viewing the world in black and white terms. Tony, a "semi-psychopath," represents the gray areas where truth and humanity reside. The story concludes with Tony, now free, inviting the author for a drink as a gesture of gratitude, leaving the audience to contemplate what they would do in the author's shoes.

The original article: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xYemnKEKx0c&list=PLV7xfBoJKBNQ3yhYgQRqocSWs1MKF7j0n&index=18