Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Everything You Need to Know About Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Introduction
Narcissistic personality disorder is a complex personality disorder oftenly associated with other
personality disorders and can be treated with multimodal approach to treatment.
NPD is marked with the pattern of grandiosity, having fanties about power , urge of importance and
attention seeking which actually affects the mental heath of the narcissist and the persons around them.
Prevalence :5% of population have NPD out of which 60% are males.
Seen in late 20’s and early 30’s.
Causes :
Exact Cause of NPD is unknown. According to some searches NPD is evolved:
 To cope with trauma like sexual abuse etc. or Excessive pampering in childhood.
 Heredity
 Environmental factors
 Sensitive and inadequate child
Symptoms:
 Grandiosity (superiority and self obsession)
 Low empathy towards others
 Need of admiration
 Exaggeration of own achievements
 Attention seeking
 Low self esteem
 Underestimating others
 Aggression
 Jealous
 Relationship with higher or VIP and low status people
 Looking for advantage from others for their goals
 Can’t cope up with distress.
Signs:
 A sense of shame, humiliation, and emptiness when disappointed
 Unwillingness to try something for fear of defeat
 Difficulty maintaining relationships
 Feeling of alienation emotional disconnect from others

 High achievement due to overconfidence but disrupted performance in the face of defeat or
criticism
 Suspiciousness
 Social withdrawal
 Difficulty managing emotions
 Depression
 Anorexia
Diagnosis :
The diagnosis of NPD is quite challenging as it tend to mimic and overlaps with other personality
disorders.
Sometimes the person is unable to understand the problems in their life is because of their own
thoughts and behavior and blaming others for the same.
But a psychiatric assessment can help to detect the NPD along with other disorders with the help of
mentioned signs and symptoms mentioned above and NPD diagnosed as :
 The grandiose subtype: This features overt grandiosity, aggression, and boldness.
 The vulnerable subtype: This involves hypersensitivity and defensiveness.
Complications:
Many people with NPD have another health condition. This might be:
 Misuse of drugs or alcohol
 Depression
 Panic disorder
 Social anxiety disorder
 Generalized anxiety disorder
 Other personality disorders
 Anorexia nervosa
 Relationship problems
 Difficulties at work or school
 Suicidal thoughts
 Trust issues

There may also be a risk of cardiovascular complications. Some researches says that males with NPD
have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood, an issue linked to a greater risk of
developing cardiovascular problems.

Treatment:
There is no exact cure for NPD but a multi modalry approach is owned to reverse the NPD.
 The main treatment is psychotherapy.
 Cognitive behavioral therapy.
 Medications: Antidepressants, Mood stabilizers and Antipsychotic drugs can help.
Conclusion:
Life with NPD is challenging for the individual, their loved ones and people around them. But good thing
is it can be treated. So one have to look for the behavior changes of people among and around you
rather than to judge and hate them. Help them to treat themselves and help yourself too.
NOTE: This article is for every person who is facing mental and personality issues with themselves and