Everything you need to know about 'Narcissistic Personality Disorder'

 

We have often seen such movies in which the hero suffers from personality disorders. Sometimes he is living a duel personality within a body and sometimes he is self-obsessed with his behavior. Although all this may sound fictional to you, but the reality is that movies are based on events happening around or within us.

Today we will discuss about another type of  personality disorder which is called 'Narcissistic Personality Disorder', It’s a serious  mental illness and it is not at all easy to recognize such kind of mental disorder growing inside a person. In this stage, the victim’s ego is on the peak. Due to imaginary situations like self-reliance, overconfidence, excessive power, he cannot tolerate his criticism. On the contrary, he loses his sense of empathy and respect towards others.

What are the symptoms of 'Narcissistic Personality Disorder', how it can affect a family relationship and how does a narcissistic personality develop. Let us try to get detailed information through this article…

What is 'Narcissistic Personality Disorder'?

'Narcissistic Personality Disorder'(NPD) which is also known as 'Megalomania' can be define as an excessive preoccupation with or admiration of oneself or one who is engage with absurd thoughts. The person suffering with this illness is struggling with an excessive sense of self importance. Even though he has not been able to achieve anything in life, but all the time he is full of pride of attaining power. He  fantasizing about success, grandeur and about being influential, famous or important. Not only this, he likes to hear his praises. He uses other people as supply to feed his ego.

• According to NIH (National Health Institute of India) report – ‘NPD appears to be one of the most controversially discussed nosological entities in psychiatry. Where Individuals with NPD may experience significant psychological distress related to interpersonal conflict and functional impairment. 

• Data reveals that ‘Narcissistic Personality Disorder’ affects more men than women. This type of narcissistic behavior often begins in the teens or at the age of early adulthood. People having NPD generally feel unhappy and disappointed when they're not given the special favors or admiration which they believe they deserve. They may find their relationships unfulfilling, and others may not enjoy being around them. They may fail to build a healthy family and marital relationship. Even the victim fails to understand that he is suffering from a rare mental disorder.

What is a Covert Narcissist ?

There are two kind of Narcissists conditions- Overt and Covert, An overt Narcissist could be easily identify because of  his loud, arrogant and insensitive behavior. Whereas, Covert Narcissist behave like a introvert. Sometimes they become a victim of emotional pain. He may appear kinder and less obnoxious than their extroverted counterpart.

Megalomanistic's partner may be a victim of narcissistic abuse

Narcissistic abuse is a condition in which the victim tortures his or her partner emotionally, sexually, financially and physically. He not only blames his partner for no fault but also harass him and humiliates him in front of others. Further more isn’t always easy to detect narcissistic abuse . That’s because true narcissists tend to be experts in manipulation and control, they always know how to make themselves look good while putting other people down.

Malignant Narcissist’s have an attitude of “It’s all about me.”

Malignant narcissism is a psychological syndrome characterized by a combination of narcissism, antisocial behavior, aggression and sadism. Malignant narcissists are very authoritarian based kinds of thinkers. They are always ready for a situation where he may inflict mental trauma on his beloved. They can be extremely manipulative and exploitive in some manner.

Complications a Narcissistic person could face

A person suffering from a narcissistic personality disorder may create many complications for himself and his family in the future, for example he may force his partner or parent to live in a toxic relationship. Such a person can bring difficulties where he go, from school to workplace. He becomes a victim of mental depression and anxiety. He spoils his health by getting addicted to drugs or alcohol. It has been seen in many cases that for the sake of his ego, he starts thinking about suicidal thoughts or behavior.

• The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)¹ classifies NPD as a Cluster B (“dramatic, emotional, and erratic”) personality disorder, a category that also includes Antisocial, Borderline, and Histrionic Personality Disorders.-(NIH report)

• Although the actual reasons for the origin of this mental disorder are not yet known, but it is believed that it is a type of personality development based mental health disorder. This is probably due to the parent-child relationship that involves excessive criticism or pampering of the child. Doctors believe that in some cases this narcissistic disorder is genetic, while in some cases other neurobiological concerns could be involve. Or hypersensitivity in family relations can also be another reason for this disorder.

How Narcissistic person behave

It is very difficult to understand and connect with such people. Despite their absurd behavior, they are determined to prove them superior and rational. They can be extremely manipulative and exploitive in the way they engage with others. They often react as if no one else exists on earth except them.  They love to live in fantasies of supreme authority with unlimited power, wealth and happiness. It would not be wrong to say that they lose the sense of reality and fiction start considering their own living approach as the best.

Common traits of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Let us try to know the characteristics of NPD through these  points:

• They expect automatic compliance of their wishes or special treatment from others.
• They carry a constant feeling in their heart that even if they do something wrong they will be forgiven and forgotten.
• It is an unfortunate state that the victims of this mental disorder display a very hostile attitude towards people who are low in economic and social backgrounds.
• People with narcissistic personality disorder face difficulties to get along with others.
• They often lead a traumatic marital or family relationship.
• Such people love to pamper this inflated self-image precisely because it allows them to avoid deep feelings of insecurity.
• They also love to live in a fantasy world that supports their delusions of grandeur and constant praise and admiration by others.
• They do not feel the slightest guilt in demean, intimidate, bully or explicate others.
• Due to the lack of emotional connection with others, narcissists have poor track records in relationships. 
• A Narcissist take advantages of others.

How does narcissistic personality disorder affect one’s relationship?

The Social Truth is people with narcissistic mental illness often lead a traumatic marital or family relationship. It would not be wrong to say that instead of leading a strong relationship, such people promote a kind of hostage situation for their partners. Further more, this ego driven behavior of a partner may lead a deterrent relationship. Such narcissistic relationship doesn’t lasts longer.

Signs of a narcissist

If we discuss about the signs of a narcissist, it could be:

• Superiority complex is the top most sign of a narcissist.
• Always eager for attention and validation.
• Everything should be perfect for them whether it's  a person or some act.
• Narcissist places all the blame and responsibilities on others.
• Selfishness, lack of empathy and emotions  is another sign of a narcissist.
• Afraid of rejections.
• They want power and control, they want to lead but are afraid of criticism.
• They make grandiose statements to attract attention and earn other people’s confidence and admiration.
• Egoistic, manipulative, hypersensitive, extrovert are some of the common signs of a narcissist.

How does a narcissistic personality develop?

Psychiatrists believe that lack of emotions and intelligence in family relationships, defunct parenting, filling of separation- are the key components of developing a narcissistic personality. It is natural for a child to become pathological narcissistic under these circumstances.

Is Narcissistic Personality Disorder curable?

Yes NPD is curable, it needs a serious attention of a mental health professional and an in depth involvement of patient. There are several forms of therapy  can be used to treat NPD:

Psychotherapy- it is a one-to-one session, kind of therapy by which doctor explore the reasons, behavior and feelings develop in a person.

Cognitive behavioral therapy- to remove the unhealthy patterns of thought and behavior and replace them with healthy ones.

Schema therapy- combination of elements of psychotherapy and CBT.

Mentalization-based therapy- which improves connection  between patients diffirent behaviorial patterns and emotions.

In addition to the above, Transference-focused psychotherapies, Dialectical behavior therapy, Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy are also used during the treatment of NPD.

Medications that may be considered for NPD treatment include- anti depressants(specifically, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors[SSRIs], antipsychotics and mood stabilizers.

Conclusion

It cannot be ignored that modernity has made people alone. As a result, today we are going through severe psychological, emotional and physical disorders. The term 'Narcissism' which is characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance, a lack of empathy for others, a need for excessive admiration, and the belief that one is unique and deserving of special treatment is a mental  disorder growing in a person since his childhood  or in his teenage or it could be develop by childhood trauma (such as physical, sexual and verbal abuse).Whereas it is believed by some psychological researchers that narcissism especially affects our youth.

The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), developed by Robert Raskin and Calvin S. Hall in 1979, is the most commonly used measure of the trait. Scores range from 0 to 40, with the average tending to fall in the low to mid-teens.

A 2018 research showed that NPD is not a common disorder. Its treatment can be extremely challenging. Its treatment depends a lot on the person's willingness to enter therapy and stay with it other than the best psychiatrist or psychologist. Because in most cases the victim is not even aware that he/she is actually suffering from a serious mental illness.