MovieChat Forums > I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016) Discussion > Glaring inaccuracies in the diagnostic m...

Glaring inaccuracies in the diagnostic methods

posted 8 years ago by monalicia-1
8 replies | jump to latest

I enjoyed watching the movie, but it was hard to set aside some fundamental glaring errors in a film whose premise lies in psychiatry: A) "sociopath" is not an official diagnosis - it is called Antisocial Personality Disorder, and B) the diagnosis cannot be given to anyone under the age of 18. This is straight from the DSM-5.

Sociopathy is definitely recognized as a trait of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), but again, it's a trait and not an official disorder of its own. I found it strange that with John's therapist being a key recurring character, the official term would never come up. And the DSM-5 clearly states in its list of criteria that must be met to receive the diagnosis: "The individual is at least of 18 years." If you're under 18, the closest clinical diagnosis is called Conduct Disorder (they're not one in the same, however Conduct Disorder can be a precursor to ASPD).

The only reason I'm caught up in the technicalities is because psychiatry is such a central aspect to the film. If that is going to be a principle concept, I would expect the writers to research and accurately portray the basics. But again, it was an interesting watch overall.

[–] yessigabi 8 years ago

I think it was more a matter of adaptation (time) than research on the writers part. If you read the books, it is a bit more consistent with reality. John himself says that as a he is only 15 (in the books) he can only be diagnosed with "Conduct Disorder". The real name of the disorder is also mentioned, but sociopath is mostly used. And I think it that is because that is the term most people know, if they go and say "Antisocial Personality Disorder" not many people will know what they are talking about.

[–] kay_rock 8 years ago

I think yessigabi nailed it. The word "sociopath" has a cultural meaning which, while completely incorrect, at least conveys a concept to a wide audience.

I get it, but I also feel the OP, though. That kind of stuff makes me cringe.

Movies are IQ tests; the IMDB boards are how people broadcast their score.

[–] JokerNeverDies 8 years ago

Both of the errors you have pointed out are mentioned/explained in to book (it's written from John's POV):

A) "He said I was a sociopath?” That was kind of cool. I'd always suspected, but it was nice to have an official diagnosis. “Antisocial personality disorder,” she said, her voice rising. “I looked it up. It's a psychosis.” She turned away. “My son's a psychotic.”

B) Antisocial personality disorder could not be officially diagnosed until you were eighteen years old—prior to that it was just “conduct disorder.” But let’s be honest: conduct disorder is just a nice way of telling parents their kids have antisocial personality disorder. I saw no reason to dance around the issue. I was a sociopath, and it was better to deal with it

I agree with the previous comments that the change in the movie was needed to cater to a wider audience. But the book has it right :) It's actually a fantastic book that I started to read right after I watched the movie.

[–] SheLeppie 8 years ago

OP, I agree with your post. I notice in movies, tv and media, sociapathy gets thrown around all the time to diagnose evil, and it's completely incorrect. You're right, if you're going to base a movie on a character's psychiatric condition, at least get the terminology right. Sociopathy is the result of childhood abuse/neglect - it is not 'born' like psychopathy, and you're right - it comes under the 'anti-social personality disorder' umbrella.

I simply am not there...

[–] oscar_ray2_jimenez 8 years ago

Sociopathy is the result of childhood abuse/neglect - it is not 'born' like psychopathy, and you're right - it comes under the 'anti-social personality disorder' umbrella

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...and that's what you get when you accept Google in your heart as your God, and the First Search Result as its gospel. Allelujah.

[–] GreenTintedSpecs 8 years ago

could have just said nutjob and every party could agree?

[–] superherolu 8 years ago

Dr. Neblin is not his psychiatrist. They make that pretty clear. He's just somebody he talks to that is a friend of his mom.

[–] Sythorn83 8 years ago

I don't consider this an error. Rather, I look at it as believable dialogue in which characters talk like real people. Nobody except mental health professionals would refer to John as being anything other than a "sociopath." Your average individual isn't going to namedrop ASPD. A mistake on the characters' part isn't necessarily a mistake on the writer's part. People don't talk like textbooks or wikipedia articles. People talk like people.