Narcissistic personality disorder: symptoms, signs, treatment

Narcissistic personality disorder is a character trait that is expressed in excessive narcissism, as well as inflated self-esteem. A patient with narcissism elevates himself above others. In the vast majority of cases, narcissism and inflated self-esteem are not true.

Until recently, there was no such thing as NRL. Today, the disease has reached colossal proportions. This is all due to errors in upbringing, the presence of mental disorders, permissiveness, and the influence of social networks. A person with a highly inflated ego requires the help of a specialist.

Symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

A person with signs of narcissistic personality disorder is constantly in a state of euphoria from his “fictional” and “contrived greatness.” The disease manifests itself in an excessive experience of self-importance combined with an increased need for attention.

The modern rhythm of life literally pushes and sometimes “provokes” the activation of narcissism. Social networks provide an ideal platform for demonstrating the disease.

Inflated self-esteem and narcissistic personality disorder are two different concepts. And before we move on to the symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder, we should understand what the difference is between the concepts.

People with high self-esteem praise themselves because of their own successes, achievements, and experiences of acceptance from loved ones. People with narcissistic personality disorder are focused on themselves and their possible achievements due to fear of failure and failure. It should also be noted that people with high self-esteem are prone to worry, sympathy, they are able to accept and help someone else’s grief.

Only a specialist can make a diagnosis. For manifestations of narcissism to be considered pathological, a person must exhibit at least 5 symptoms, out of a possible 9.

1. Fantasies about your own success, work done, beauty, strength, amazingness, achievements.
2. Feeling important. A person overestimates his importance in the lives of loved ones, and even strangers. It seems to him that his advice and help are constantly needed.
3. Belief in your own uniqueness. A patient with NPD is sure that he should communicate only with people from high society.
4. The need for love, praise, admiration. If a person lacks attention and admiration, apathy, depression and even aggressive behavior may occur.
5. “Everybody owes me.” When communicating with other people, a narcissist will always expect from them either praise or “gratitude” for the fact that he bothered to talk/help/pay attention.
6. Exploitation of others. The narcissist will use those around him to achieve his goals. At the same time, he will not feel remorse.
7. Lack of empathy, which is accompanied by a reluctance to acknowledge other people's feelings.
8. Dislike of other people's achievements and success. Manifestations of envy are often accompanied by aggression and even abuse.
9. Demonstrating your own greatness. Arrogant behavior.

The narcissist will constantly live in his own illusion. The patient will demand excessive attention from others, praising “fictitious” successes and qualities that are not inherent in his character.

As the disorder progresses, experts note sudden mood swings, unreasonable aggression, loss of appetite, or, on the contrary, an increase in it. Narcissists rarely complete a task, abandoning it halfway.

Causes of narcissism

The main points that influence the emergence of narcissism can be divided into several groups:

• family relationships (relationships with mother at an early age, interaction with brothers and sisters);
• social factors of the immediate environment (features of upbringing and interaction with significant adults - grandparents and other relatives or guardians);
• macrosocial factors (for example, encouragement in a culture of achievement, material security, etc.).

The most significant period for the formation of personality is an early age (up to 3 years), respectively, and narcissism begins to develop during this period. If a child does not receive enough love, warmth and support from his parents, and does not feel the unconditional security of the world, then in adulthood this will require compensation. Neglect or lack of attention on the part of the mother, threatening the survival of the baby, is clearly imprinted in the inner world, and then such a person requires constant attention and treatment of himself as a king or deity. This also includes constant criticism of the child instead of support and encouragement in the early stages - this leads to an unsatisfied need for admiration.

The opposite model of parental behavior with overprotection and instant satisfaction of the child’s needs also leads to the development of the narcissistic part. A person gets used to such an attitude from childhood, and then, when faced with the real world, he experiences shock and demands the usual way and speed of satisfying his needs. Overpraised children, who are constantly focused on winning and achieving, can also suffer and turn into narcissists who experience moral relief only during periods of glory.

The main causes of narcissism:

• inadequate level of self-esteem;
• overprotection or hypoprotection on the part of parents and the immediate social environment;
• psychological trauma;
• ignoring the child’s personality (imposing one’s desires and vision of the world);
• narcissistic injury (inherent in those raised by narcissistic parents).

Depending on the overall personality structure, the same reasons can lead to the development of different forms of narcissism. As a rule, psycho-emotional, family, pedagogical, social reasons “lie” on the basis of heredity and biological characteristics of the nervous system, which leads to the formation of narcissistic personality disorder.

Signs of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

According to the observations of psychiatrists and psychologists, NPD occurs equally often in representatives of the stronger and weaker sex at the age of 16-40 years. Often, parents confuse narcissism with an inflated opinion of their talents.

Nowadays, many people suffer from narcissism to one degree or another. As noted above, social media is to blame. Narcissism can also develop against the background of mental trauma received at a young age and mental disorders.

It is already known for sure that narcissism is a disease that can be characterized by exceptional narcissism and uniqueness. In this regard, the patient expects special treatment, because according to his own convictions he is superior to those around him.

Signs of narcissism:

1. Creating a “fake picture”. The narcissist creates a picture of another person in his head, both externally and internally. A person tries to look smarter, more developed and more beautiful compared to others. On social networks, the narcissist posts only the best photos. Moreover, he does not edit or process images, considering himself a person with an ideal appearance. The narcissist is obsessed with one desire - to surprise others by showing his ideal life.
2. Bombast. The behavior of a king is how one can characterize the manner of communication of a person with the habits of a narcissist. He tries to stand out by any means: clothing, speech, manner of communication.
3. Humiliation of other people. In moments of bad mood or loss of strength, the narcissist experiences a feeling of dissatisfaction. Against this background, a desire arises to humiliate another person. Aggression also occurs when a person with narcissistic personality disorder meets a better person (according to his own beliefs). If someone is better than a narcissist, he experiences strong and painful emotions, which later develop into aggression.
4. Fear of showing emotions. Naturally, the fear of showing emotions is inherent not only in narcissists, but also in people who are not confident in themselves. Tears, feelings of pity, manifestations of tender feelings - this is not about narcissists. Internally, they understand their weakness, so they are afraid to show their emotions.
5. Inability to listen. The ability to listen involves participation in dialogue, sympathy, and empathy. But narcissists lack these feelings. They find it difficult to concentrate for long periods of time. They interrupt others. Sometimes, even in a very harsh form.
6. Exaggerating one's own achievements. Any book read will be accompanied by a revaluation of work. However, like any, the most insignificant action and work.
7. Blaming others. Self-criticism is not typical for patients with narcissistic personality disorder. Any failures will be accompanied by accusations towards relatives, friends and ordinary acquaintances.
8. Obsession with power and success. Success for narcissists is purely an external gloss. They do not work on themselves, their internal qualities, and, as noted above, they rarely bring things to a logical conclusion. Power for them is just an end in itself, and not the result of long work on oneself.

Some signs of narcissistic personality disorder are present to varying degrees in the average person. To make a diagnosis, you should visit a specialist's office.

You are probably young and male, and perhaps an artist

“The narcissist-monk is a bit of a combination, but being a narcissist while being Kanye West is fantastic,” says Western Sydney University psychologist Peter Jonason, an expert in social psychology. After 34,653 face-to-face interviews, psychologist Frederick Stinson found that men tend to be more narcissistic than women over the course of their lives.

Narcissism is thought to peak during adolescence and decline with age.

Treatment for Narcissistic Personality Disorder

People with narcissistic personality disorder overwhelmingly deny the need for treatment. And in the case when they are satisfied with life: career advancement, satisfaction of their own ambitions, admiration from others - they really feel great.

The treatment process for narcissistic personality disorder should never be rushed. Forced treatment can only worsen the patient's condition. In this case, a special individual approach is needed. No self-treatment at home. Qualified professionals should work closely with narcissists.

Today, the main treatment method for narcissistic personality disorder is psychotherapy. In this case, the therapist pursues a single goal - to convey to the patient that people must be accepted as they are.

Treatment for narcissistic personality disorder is individual. When choosing treatment methods, you should consider:

1. General physical and mental condition of the patient.
2. Desire to make contact.
3. Patient's age.
4. Social status.
5. Presence of mental disorders.

One of the most successful and progressive methods of treating the disease is the psychoanalytic approach. The psychoanalytic approach allows us to identify pathological patterns at a young age.

You must always be in control

Just as narcissists hate talking about their feelings, “they can't remain at the mercy of other people's preferences,” Malkin says. “It reminds them that they are not invulnerable or completely independent—that, in fact, they may have to ask for what they want—and worse, people may not be willing to grant that request.”

This is why they can control themselves without getting angry. In romantic relationships, narcissists control people with disapproving glances, calls to change plans, and chronic tardiness. This allows narcissists to undermine other people's ability to make choices. By doing this, narcissists maintain their sense of complete autonomy, which they so desperately need.

How to treat narcissistic personality disorder:

1. Behavioral and cognitive psychotherapy.
2. Group classes with relatives.
3. Drug therapy.

The problem is aggravated if, against the background of a pre-existing disease, symptoms of prolonged depression, phobias and panic attacks appear. In this case, we should talk not only about psychotherapy, but also about supporting the body with medications that are prescribed after the examination.

Quite often, patients are prescribed alimemazine antipsychotics. The latter have a multifaceted effect on the patient’s body. The main properties of the drug include a mild sedative effect, which is accompanied by a decrease in the reaction to external stimuli. Alimemazine antipsychotics reduce feelings of fear, panic, suppress signs of aggression, and even hallucinations.

It is important to note that after a course of taking modern antipsychotics, patients do not become addicted. They have a very gentle effect on the human body, causing virtually no side effects.

Taking antidepressants, antipsychotics, and herbal medicine can alleviate the narcissist’s condition, but it should be understood that an important part of the effectiveness of treatment directly depends on sessions with a psychologist and the supervision of a psychiatrist.

To move narcissism “from its place”, only one thing is necessary - a person’s desire to admit that he needs the help of a specialist. At the Salvation clinic, all services are provided on an anonymous basis. This means that after treatment, the patient’s reputation will remain “clean”.

Experts are sure that NPD begins in childhood. Narcissism is inherent in every child in a healthy, refined form. Correcting narcissism is not always treatable. In some cases, it may take more than one month to restore normal behavior.

Psychologists and psychiatrists advise engaging in preventive work from an early age. Under no circumstances should a child suffer from a lack of love and attention, but you should not allow your child to manipulate you.

Preventive work to eliminate manifestations of NPD is primarily aimed at developing empathy, as well as the formation of high and “healthy” self-esteem. Preventive work can be carried out in the form of a game, starting from 3 years.

If you are not grandiose, then you are introverted, hypersensitive, defensive and anxious

Psychologists talk about “the two faces of narcissism.” On the one hand, he is a hyper-aggressive, super-loud type. But there is also a milder form of narcissism. This is called “covert narcissism,” which is referred to as introversion, hypersensitivity, defensiveness, and anxiety. “Both shades of narcissism shared a core of vanity, arrogance, and a tendency to give in to one’s own needs and neglect others,” Scientific American reports.

Who is a narcissist?

It is not at all difficult to identify a narcissist among other individuals. He always strives to be in the center of events and capture all the attention of others, and demands special respect for himself. Among narcissists, there are many gossipers and constant critics of other people.

By identifying the shortcomings of others, a person elevates himself, trying to gain praise and respect. Despite the seemingly high level of self-esteem, such a person always seeks confirmation of the value of her personality from others.

There is no spiritual harmony within the narcissist; he often feels underappreciated and misunderstood. A person is constantly forced to worry about what impression he makes, whether he is good enough.

The type of personality in question considers itself to be especially gifted with certain traits - the most beautiful, the most intelligent, the most talented. But, paradoxically, this has nothing to do with true self-confidence. A person with adequate high self-esteem does not strive to prove his worth, but perceives it as an axiom.

It is difficult to communicate with narcissists at work and in everyday life; they have few friends. This is due to the fact that a person does not tolerate any criticism of himself. His opinion is indisputable and immutable. Telling a narcissist that he is an ordinary person will cause a storm of negative emotions and make the person really suffer.