>>> I knew the word psychotic would do the trick. Most people understand in general terms what you mean when you use that term: they think cold blooded, someone

>>> I knew the word psychotic would do the trick. Most people understand in general terms what you mean when you use that term: they think cold blooded, someone without the ability to empathize, cold and calculating, willing to hurt people to reach their objectives, etc. No, that's psychopathic, not psychotic. You are right that definitions are constantly evolving... but this is not the case. Psychopathic/psychotic are not even close (except the fact that they sound similarly) - they are totally different things and when you associate that term with characteristics typical for psychopath you are seriously misleading. I understand that you are not a doctor - if you don't know what the term means that's ok, please just don't use it. To make it hopefully easier to understand why this is so important: imagine that you suffer from severe depression caused by bipolar disorder (which is psychosis, therefore you are psychotic). You might be at the verge of committing suicide and you need help... and than you notice that some people confuse the term psychotic with psychopathic - they think you are a psychopath and they expect inability to empathise, willingness to hurt people etc. - get it? You don't label cancer patients as psychopaths and you should not do it with other illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. That's the point - those are illnesses, being a psychopath is not.