Dating a Psychopath: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Luring you in with sweet-talk only to unleash the devil incarnate. It’s the oldest trick in the book for a psychopath! Yes ladies and gentlemen, some credulous Puneites have thusly been subject to the infamous Pavlovian taming.

“It’s like one moment you’re dating Ryan Gosling from the Notebook and the next you’re transported to hell with SRK from Darr,” explains Ruhanika shedding light on the unpredictable behavior she experienced with her ex.

“The problem is his mean streak started to show a year down the line, by which time I was well-invested in the relationship. When confronted all he’d say was- ‘This is me- take it or leave it’. So it took me a while to realize it was never getting better”, she rues indicating that a psychopath’s true personality only shows a little ways down the road.

Adarsh Goel sheepishly admits that he first thought Geetika was just ‘PMS’ing when she had crazy mood swings.

“The mood swings and dominating behaviour from my otherwise doting partner was funny at first, but it soon got scary,” Adarsh says.

“I grew to expect the bad days, but never got used to the name-calling and low blows she sent my way every time she had a tough day at work. Ultimately, it was the thought of what she may put my parents through were we to marry that had me call it quits. I think I might stick to casual encounters for a while until I can mentally get past this.”

While Ruhanika and Adarsh were quick to escape the clutches of seemingly bipolar partners, not everyone’s quite so lucky.

“You really don’t know what to think,” exclaims Siya Nair. “Is the erratic rage a passing phase or a permanent behavioral pattern!

The worst part is that you can’t ask your friends or family to weigh in. Because guess what? Mr. Hyde only debuts in secret.
“All my friends can only see Dr. Jekyll and often tell me how lucky I am. Go figure!” says Siya talking about the social pressures that compel her to stay in a mentally draining partnership.

Now that you’re acquainted with the trials of dating one, here’s how you can spot a true psychopath-

– Your partner’s initially endearing traits soon fall away showing you a glimpse into the true (and usually nasty) character that was hiding below.
– The person resorts to violent and controlling behavior that you bear the brunt of.
– The good times are few and far between while you are left praying for peace in a twisted web of lies.

So, if you meet one- run far and run fast!

Aditi Balsaver