We're so accustomed to seeing psychopaths and sociopaths in films that it's easy to forget that real people identify themselves in these groups - some suffering from recognised mental health disorders.
In the above video, author of Confessions of a Sociopath M.E Thomas talks about her life.
Thomas says she identifies as a sociopath as she has a "lack of empathy and a lack of conscience." She says growing up, she felt various rules and norms in society didn't apply to her.
"Today, the terms “sociopath” and “psychopath” are used interchangeably — often as a nice way of avoiding “crazy” — yet in recent years the difference between “psychopath” and “sociopath” has become as widely pronounced as the scientific difference between shell shock and post-traumatic stress disorder, which is to say it’s massive.
"Sociopathy, while severely the less understood of the two disorders, can be congenital or acquired. Psychopathy, meanwhile, is generally considered a confluence of genetic and chemical imbalances.
"Psychopaths lack the proper neurological frameworks to develop a sense of ethics and morality. Sociopaths interact with their social worlds in a meaningful way, but their moral compasses needed a massive tune-up yesterday," he writes.
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Thomas says that she is able to maintain relationships with friends and family as those closest to her know she's "not the person to come to if you want to vent emotionally."
She does say that she's good at giving advice though, as she's able to provide her friends with a logical perspective to dilemmas.
If you'd like to test your psychopath levels, there is a test available here.