A woman living with a disorder that affects her ability to experience emotions such as empathy and regret has opened up about the childhood experiences she believes shaped her into a sociopath.
Former Miss Universe competitor Anika Batra has spoken publicly about her diagnosis. While “sociopath” remains a common word in everyday conversation, clinicians now typically use the term Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), in part because it’s considered more precise and less stigmatizing.
“characterized by a lack of empathy, guilt, and remorse”
“what people like to call a conscience,”
She has also claimed that a less-discussed sign can show up in someone’s eyes.
Anika has said she didn’t suddenly become emotionally detached overnight. Instead, she learned at 21 that she was a sociopath and believes a series of traumatic experiences earlier in life contributed to her condition.
Now based in Australia and using social media to describe how she navigates life with ASPD, Anika pointed to the first incident she considers pivotal.
“I was 10 years old when my grandfather took his last breath in front of me.”
She said what made it even more confusing was that he appeared healthy, yet he “mysteriously passed from malnutrition.” She added that he was living as a Yogi in India, where he was later cremated.
Looking back, Anika said she didn’t fully grasp what had happened right away, explaining she believed he was only asleep until the cremation.
Experts generally describe ASPD as having no single cause, but rather developing from a combination of genetic predisposition and adverse childhood experiences such as abuse, neglect, or instability—factors that can influence brain development and behavior over time.
“When I was younger, if I cried, I wouldn’t get comforted,”
Anika described what she sees as the second major influence, saying instead of being soothed she was punished and shouted at.
‘punished and yelled at’.
She has claimed this dynamic affected her emotional development, arguing it “stunted the development of my amygdala,” the part of the brain associated with processing emotions including fear and empathy.
The third factor she identified was experiencing a conduct disorder in childhood—an umbrella term often used for persistent behavioral problems such as aggression, rule-breaking, and deceit, which can be linked with later antisocial traits in some people.
“I would thrive on chaos because it would alleviate the boredom that I would always experience,”
She added that constant boredom can be a feature associated with ASPD, and in some cases may contribute to impulsive, risky, or thrill-seeking behavior.
Finally, Anika said the fourth and fifth experiences were the most disturbing: repeated exposure to severe domestic violence within her family.
“DV was normal in my extended family,”
She said she watched patterns of abuse affect multiple generations of women in her family.
In addition to witnessing violence against her mother, Anika has said she also saw her grandmother being attacked after a dispute involving food.
Research has found correlations between antisocial traits and early exposure to violence at home, including not only direct victimization but also witnessing abuse within the household.
“But sure, Jesus can fix ASPD.”