Get Down With PPP: the Psychopath Prevention Program

good to be true probably is.  Trust your gut.  If something doesn’t seem right, don’t be afraid to ask questions or to do research.
• Protect yourself.  Know your weaknesses.  This will help you defend against a psychopath’s manipulations.
• Establish boundaries.  Psychopaths’ have an all consuming need to control others.  If you have weak boundaries they won’t hesitate to move in and exploit you.
• Get help.  If you feel like you’re caught in a web of deceit, don’t be afraid to seek advice from a psychologist or therapist who can help you get out.   

Forget about counseling as a way to help them see the error of their ways…psychopathy is untreatable.  If you recognize these behaviors in someone currently in your life, the best thing you can do is to run and not look back.  And whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up for getting duped.  The reality is that a psychopath can even fool an expert…just not for long.   

Sil Lai Abrams is EBONY.com’s Relationship Expert and the author of No More Drama: 9 Simple Steps to Transforming a Breakdown into a Breakthrough and a board member of the National Domestic Violence Hotline.  Follow her on Twitter: @sil_lai and connect with her on Facebook. Want Sil Lai's advice? Email SilLai@ebony.com to have your love questions answered in a future column!