The shocking case of Beth, the psychopathic child

The little girl had her parents and relatives totally terrified.

Many will already know the case of Beth Thomasan intriguing story that is making a strong impact on social networks and that has left no one indifferent. Both for those who have not yet heard of this girl and for those who have, we recommend you continue reading this article.

Beth Thomas: the story of the psychopathic girl

This story is about a little girl who lost her mother when she was only one year old.. She and her brother were left under the guardianship of their Biological father, who sexually abused both children. Fortunately, the abuse was detected by doctors and the children were taken into care by a social worker six months later.

Luckily for Beth and her little brother Jonathan, both were adopted by a Christian couple who were excited to be parents but could not conceive. Everything seemed to be going well until Beth began to report having strange nightmares, and they realized that something was wrong.and they realized that something was wrong.

Nightmares, a prelude to little Beth's antisocial behavior

Beth's nightmares were about a man "falling on her and hurting her with part of him. In addition, Beth manifested violent behavior towards her brother, her parents and animals (which she even killed). (which she even killed). In addition to anger, they also found that Beth exhibited inappropriate sexual behaviors: the girl masturbated publicly and excessively, resulting in bleeding.

These facts made the parents consider seeing a psychologist.. Precisely in the course of Beth's diagnosis and psychological therapy, the video that has traveled the world was recorded: an interview with Beth conducted by Dr. Ken Magid, a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of severely sexually abused children. What this psychologist discovered about the causes and effects of sexual abuse is the subject of study in every school of psychology.

The chilling dialogues between Beth and her psychologist

This is a short transcript of the beginning of the interview:

- "Dr. Ken: Are people afraid of you Beth?

-Beth: Yes.

-Dr. Ken: Are your parents afraid of you?

-Beth: Yes.

-Dr. Ken: What would you do with them?

-Beth: Stab them.

-Dr. Ken: What would you do with your brother?

-Beth: Kill him.

-Dr. Ken: Who would you like to stick pins in?

-Beth: Mom and dad.

-Dr. Ken: What would you like to happen to them?

-Beth: That they would die."

The little girl admitted to physically abusing her brother.

Beth admitted, in her conversations with Dr. Ken and with total coldness, to having mistreated her brother since forever, headbutting him to the ground, sticking pins all over his body and his private parts, stretching and kicking his genitals.... She even went so far as to explain that she had once tried to kill him, and only stopped because her parents discovered her. She admitted that she had also seriously considered killing her parents on several occasions and that she mistreated her pets on a regular basis. Not content with that alone, she went so far as to kill several animals that roamed around her backyard.

In the face of all these facts that she herself recounted, Beth acknowledged that she did not feel any remorse. Beth acknowledged that she felt no remorse or guilt whatsoever.Her tone of voice in all her statements was cold and calm, as if she were explaining any trivial anecdote. When asked why she acted this way, she answered that she wanted to make her feel everything she felt in the past during her father's abuse. Likewise, to all the doctor's questions about whether she was aware that these acts would produce suffering in the other person, she calmly admitted that yes, that was precisely what she wanted.

Admittance to a special center and psychological treatment

After a long interview, the psychologist obtained enough information to lead him to decide to place the girl in a treatment center for children with special needs. to a center for the treatment of children with various behavioral disorders. Beth was diagnosed with a severe attachment disorderwhich is characterized by the development of an inability to establish healthy and appropriate relationships, due in this case to a history of sexual abuse and maltreatment by her father.

The attachment disorder requires urgent psychological attention, otherwise it could become a danger to Beth herself and her family members, due to the complete lack of empathy she displayed, which could be equated to disorders such as sociopathy or psychopathy. The reason Beth was not diagnosed as a psychopath at the time is because at that time the disorder was not yet known to exist. the existence of dissocial personality disorder (antisocial personality disorder) was not yet known. (antisocial personality disorder before the age of 18), about which there is still much debate among mental health academics.

Psychological treatment to control her antisocial impulses

The treatment imposed on Beth was very strict and orderly. It was specially designed for children with the same disorder, who find it very difficult to respect rules and habits. During the night, in order to prevent her from hurting other children, Beth was locked in a room. She also had to ask permission for everything, from going to the bathroom to even drinking water.

As time passed, the restrictions became less strict and Beth progressively got better and better..

Beth was able to make a full recovery and today she is a person with an ordinary life.

At the end of the video we can see the great progress of Beth's treatment. Over the years, we can see Beth as a person with the capacity to empathize and to be aware of the consequences of her actions. Obviously, her apparent 'wickedness' had its genesis in the continued abuse she was subjected to as a baby, and her case serves to illustrate the calamitous consequences of physical and psychological abuse at a young age.

Today, Beth lives a normal life and works as a nurse.. Her professional merits have earned her several awards.

This case leads us to the following conclusions: the importance of good parenting, especially in critical periods of the child. But it also tells us about the effectiveness (at least in this case) of psychological therapy, even in extremely serious cases that may seem irreconcilable.

What were the psychotherapeutic keys to her recovery?

This total psychological recovery of little Beth could be achieved by making the girl aware of her actions, increasing her self-esteem, as well as cementing the habits and functional social behaviors, for example by making her capable of accepting certain rules and being able to manage, channel and understand the reason for her anger.

We recommend you to watch the documentary of Beth's case in its entirety, carried out by HBO in 1992. It is really interesting and worthwhile to know this case in depth, for all that it can teach us as professionals and as human beings.