Escape the Paradox

Welcome to Escape the Paradox, where I expose the hidden reality of coercive control and domestic violence including psychological, emotional and physical abuse.

I’m Helena, a survivor of childhood abuse. I'm a mental health nursing student and advocate, here to support you in breaking free from the confusion, fear, and isolation that abuse creates.

Home should be the safest place, but for many, it becomes the most dangerous.

In each episode, I share my personal story and dive into my own experiences, as well as survivor experiences, trauma-informed insights, and expert research to help you understand the mechanisms of abuse and begin your healing journey.

We’ll explore tactics such as gaslighting, and how abusers wield and seek power and control, not to diagnose, but because naming abuse is the first step in reclaiming your reality.

If you're ready to reconnect with your truth and rebuild your self-worth through clarity and understanding, you’re in the right place.

Follow Escape the Paradox on Threads, Instagram, and TikTok: @escapetheparadox.

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Escape the Paradox

Psychopathy - Diagnosis

June 30, 2026 • Helena Hickman • Episode 17

0:00 | 34:15

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This will be a two-part episode on Psychopathy. I have used a lot of research on this episode, so this isn't as juicy as you might be hoping! It's very technical and focuses on the diagnostic criteria from a forensic psychiatry perspective. Hopefully you won't find it too boring.

References

(Mis)understanding Psychopathy: Consequences for Policy and Practice with Offenders, Psychiatry, Psychology and Law. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2014.960033

Reducing psychopathic violence: A review of the treatment literature. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5868429/

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

BTK: A Study in Psychopathy. https://scholar.smu.edu/jour/vol7/iss2/5

Differentiating psychopathy from antisocial personality disorder: a triarchic model perspective. doi:10.1017/S003329171300161X

Examining The Associations Between Dsm-5 Section Iii Antisocial Personality Disorder Traits And Psychopathy In Community And University Samples. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24689766/

(Mis)understanding Psychopathy: Consequences for Policy and Practice with Offenders. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2014.960033

Psychopathy as a Clinical and Empirical Construct. 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091452

Psychopathy: A confusing clinical construct. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18387007/

PSYCHO-OLOGY: Killer Mindsets and Meditations on Murder. Psychopathy_and_the_Will_to_Power_Ted_Bundy_and_Dennis_Rader_In_S_Waller_Ed_Serial_Killers_and_Philosophy_Oxford_Blackwell_Publishing

Psychopathy: Assessment and Forensic Implications. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674370905401202

Psychopathic Personality: Bridging the Gap Between Scientific Evidence and Public Policy. DOI: 10.1177/1529100611426706

The Evidentiary Introduction of Psychopathy Checklist-Revised Assessed Psychopathy in U.S. Courts: Extent and Appropriateness. DOI 10.1007/s10979-006-9042-z

Welcome to Escape the Paradox, a podcast dedicated to exposing and exploring the truth about coercive control, emotional abuse, and the long-term trauma caused by abusive relationships.

Whether it's childhood abuse from a parent, intimate partner violence, or domestic abuse in any form, this podcast dives into the patterns, dynamics, and the psychological impact.

My name is Helena, and I am your host! I share my own lived experience as a survivor of childhood abuse, while also creating space for survivor stories, expert insight, and compassionate support.

Healing is non-linear, and a complex and difficult process.

E-Mail me! escapetheparadox@outlook.com

Don't forget to subscribe (follow) wherever you get your podcasts!

Remember: It's not your fault, and your story matters!