Sociopath: A Memoir (Hardback) - Patric Gagne

An utterly compelling, drily funny, and, at times, jaw-dropping account of life as a diagnosed sociopath from a music manager who retrained as a therapist to better understand her condition, and help other sociopaths.

Named a most anticipated book of 2024 by Vulture, LitHub, The Guardian, and Cosmopolitan.

Sociopath: A Memoir is at once a jaw-dropping tale of a life lived on the edge of the law, a redemptive love story and a moving account of one woman's battle to gain a deeper understanding of people who, like her, are sociopaths.

'Your friends would probably describe me as nice. But guess what? I can't stand your friends. I'm a liar. I'm a thief. I'm highly manipulative. I don't care what other people think. I'm capable of almost anything.'

Ever since she was a small child, Patric Gagne knew she was different. Although she felt intense love for her family and her best friend, David, these connections were never enough to make her be 'good', or to reduce her feelings of apathy and frustration. As she grew older, her behaviour escalated from petty theft through to breaking and entering, stalking, and worse.

As an adult, Patric realized that she was a sociopath. Although she instantly connected with the official descriptions of sociopathy, she also knew they didn't tell the full story: she had a plan for her life, had nurtured close relationships and was doing her best (most of the time) to avoid harming others. As her darker impulses warred against her attempts to live a settled, loving life with her partner, Patric began to wonder - was there a way for sociopaths to integrate happily into society? And could she find it before her own behaviour went a step too far?

'A surprising, thoughtful and deeply personal exploration of what it means to be a sociopath.' - Pandora Sykes

About the Author

Patric Gagne is a writer, former therapist, and advocate for people suffering from sociopathic, psychopathic, and anti-social personality disorders. She earned a PhD in clinical psychology with a dissertation that examined the relationship between sociopathy and anxiety. This research became the groundwork for her continued studies on sociopathic disorder, as well as the foundation for her memoir. She did her undergraduate work at UCLA and earned her masters and doctorate at the California Graduate Institute of The Chicago School.