That time I dated a psychopath

IT is not always easy for some people to determine whether their significant other is in good mental health or is manifesting the traits of a psychopath.

Psychopaths actually look like regular people, but when they strike, they inflict harm without any feelings of guilt.

But what are some of the tell-tale signs? Below readers share with All Woman a few warning signs in their relationships with unstable people.

Ken V, 30:

On the first date we decided to go to the beach. It was at night. I have a female best friend and she sent me a text while I was out with this girl. My date saw the text, realised it was from a female, grabbed the phone, and threw it into the sea.

Natalee W, 26:

I dated a guy who wanted more, but I was not willing to give more. When I decided to end the relationship he contacted most of my family members, saying he was going to kill himself. They were alarmed and begged me to work it out, but I remained unmoved as I knew it was a ploy to get me to reconsider my decision. I also think people who do this are manipulative. You should not use your life as a bargaining chip.

Anastacia B, 39:

He suffered from what is called narcissistic personality disorder. This is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a profound need for admiration, and a lack of empathy for others. I found that he was very manipulative. He would say things and then deny saying them, and this would make me begin to question my sanity. He also didn’t take responsibility when he was wrong. Whenever he accused me of something, it was usually something he was doing.

Ricardo J, 40:

My daughter’s mother was a psychopath in living colour. She would call all my friends and threaten them and make threats to females I worked with, and even some I had been close to as a child. What hit the ball out of the park was when she told my mother, with the broadest smile, that she would not mind killing someone for getting in her way.

Jared, G, 49:

I’ve had quite a few. There was one who enjoyed researching clever ways to commit crimes, which I thought was very odd. Why would you be obsessed with this if you had no intention of doing it? Another girlfriend would wake up in the night and stand over me, watching me sleep. At first I found it cute, but then it became very weird. If she was lying down and watching me it wouldn’t be so bad, but standing over me with a fixed, deadly stare…too much like a horror movie.

Christian T, 35:

She was overly friendly and exaggerated everything. So if I was sad, she would say, “Oh, my God! You’re feeling sad today!” and for some reason it never struck me as someone being genuine. She was also always there, wanting to know everything about my work life and my friends. It was nice at first, but then I had no breathing space. She would also hum show tunes, speak to herself and then respond! After a while I just couldn’t take it anymore.