An adult male friend of mine acts out in ways that can resemble the behavior of a sociopath. He says that at age 14 he fell off his bike and hit his head hard. Can trauma to the head cause his ironic behavior? Can an MRI interpret brain activity to prove that something is actually wrong? What professional help should he first seek?
2006-10-27 17:13:16 · 4 answers · asked by loggy 1 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
He may or may not be telling you the truth about the bike accident. Severe brain trauma or an injury to the frontal lobe CAN cause drastic changes is personality, though. (Everyone who has taken high school or college psych 101 probably studied the story of Phineas T.) Google it if you're not familar: this guys has a railroad spike blasted thru his head!
The person who mentioned brain trauma in serial killers is wrong. I know of no serial killer (in the U.S.) who was found to have suffered a brain trauma, except for one: the University of Texas sniper back in the '60's. And that was a brain tumor.
AN MRI is not the best procedure to determine brain damage. It is usually used to detect physical injuries. Two tests that would be much better would be a PET scan or an ECT. PET is the best because it shows color-coded chemical activity in the brain. But it is very expensive.
As far as professional help: I think that would be up to his parents. There would be a number of options they could pursue, depending on their insurance coverage.
2006-10-27 18:14:20 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yep, trauma to the frontal cortex shows up in serial killers and cannibals. I'd go out of state if I were you - who'd be an enabler? If he acts like a sociopath, why wait for proof?
2006-10-28 00:44:40 · answer #2 · answered by WomanWhoReads 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
an MRI can tell many things about the way the brain is functiong. It does not give you an in depth phsycological profile. maybe he should seek counseling though.
2006-10-28 00:25:51 · answer #3 · answered by Grev 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps you need to leave him alone....and perhaps he has an excuse that you believe for his behavior....does his family tell you this is true????
Perhaps he already knows...and you can't accept it.
2006-10-28 00:17:12 · answer #4 · answered by May I help You? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋