Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Types, Symptoms, Causes, Risks & Treatment

If you ever see a person with an unreasonably high sense of their importance, there are chances they have a narcissistic personality disorder. This is a mental health condition in which people seek attention and need others' admiration. Behind such behavioural traits, they lack confidence and are unsure of their worth.

To know more about this disorder, continue reading!

This is one of the variants of personality disorder. Typically, people with this condition have an exaggerated opinion of themselves. As a result, they constantly seek validation and appreciation for themselves. People with NPD are often misunderstood because they are seen as concerned, snobbish and conceited. Individuals going through this may cause various problems in their workplace and hamper relationships with others.

Craig Malkin, a clinical psychologist, states narcissism is a trait or pervasive human tendency that exists on a spectrum. Although it is impossible to clinically diagnose each sub-type, there is a pattern.

Below are the eight variants of narcissism:

• Healthy Narcissism: In this condition, a person may want to share achievements they feel proud of.
• Sexual Narcissism: Individuals with an overly egoistic admiration of their sexual prowess and obsession with sexual performance are sexual narcissists.
• Grandiose Narcissism: This is a condition when one overestimates their abilities, asserts dominance, and has higher self-esteem.
• Vulnerable or Covert Narcissism: This type of narcissism is inhibited. People with this condition are distressed and hypersensitive to others' evaluations.
• Malignant Narcissism: People with this condition are manipulative and display signs of sadism and aggression.
• Somatic Narcissism: Those who have this trait obsess over their weight and physical appearance and criticise others for theirs.
• Spiritual Narcissists: These people use spirituality to clarify harmful behaviours; they often use spiritual jargon to intimidate others.
• Cerebral Narcissists: Individuals with this condition believe they are more intelligent than everyone else. They even try to make others feel less of themselves to satisfy their ego.

The common narcissistic traits are:

• Arrogance
• Self-centred
• Demanding
• High self-esteem
• Exaggerate their talents
• Preoccupied with power, success, and beauty
• Impulsive behaviour

The various symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder are subjective to every individual. Moreover, it depends on the severity of the condition.

Narcissists can experience a wide array of signs, for example:

• Unimaginably high sense of self-importance, requiring constant admiration
• Need to be treated special, and they deserve privileges
• Wanting to appear as a recognised superior
• Fantasising about their success, power, and brilliance
• Have a sense of superiority and like to spend time with those who are equal to them
• Tend to look down upon others
• Expect people to serve them with favours
• People suffering from this disorder feel that they can do whatever they want without any questioning
• Use others to get advantages
• Believe everyone is envious of them
• Behave arrogantly and brag about themselves
• Become impatient when do not get any special recognition
• Easily feel slighted
• Find it difficult to interact with others
• React with rage or contempt
• Have issues managing their emotions and behaviour
• Deals with stress
• Might not adapt to changes
• Tendency to avoid situations where they can fail
• Become moody when failing at perfection
• Have insecurity, shame, humiliation, and fear of failure.

Scholars are yet to decipher the exact cause of NPD. This disorder can result from combining factors like:

• Childhood trauma, including any kind of abuse
• An unhealthy relationship with parents, friends, or relatives
• Genetics or family history
• Hypersensitivity to textures, noise, and light since childhood
• Individual personality and temperament

Those who have undergone the following situations are at risk of developing a narcissistic personality disorder.

• Neglect during childhood
• Physical or emotional abuse
• Excessive pampering from parents
• Unrealistic expectations set by parents and others

A skilled psychotherapist or psychiatrist can diagnose narcissistic personality disorder only after carefully assessing the primary symptoms.

• They will provide questionnaires to fill out and then discuss with the patient.
• They would focus on signs that affect one's thinking patterns, feelings, behaviour, and interaction traits.
• Some personality tests may also be given to clarify what kind of narcissistic behaviour the person has. Every patient is expected to answer them honestly so that the therapist gets a better insight into how they feel.

Some of the common tests are:

• International personality disorder examination (IPDE)
• Personality diagnostic questionnaire-4 (PDQ-4)
• Millon clinical multiaxial inventory III (MCMI-III)

The treatment process for every individual who has NPD differs according to their symptoms, severity, and other health complications. However, the effective remedies are counselling, proper medication and lifestyle changes.

1. Counselling

The primary treatment of narcissistic personality disorder is to continue counselling or therapy. It is very beneficial for the patients as they provide insight into their problems. In addition, they help them learn different ways to make changes for a better lifestyle.

For instance, they may ask to perform some experiments like the following:

• Relate with others to understand their feelings
• Develop realistic expectations from others
• Have a healthy self-esteem

2. Medications

Along with the therapy sessions, psychiatrists may also recommend certain medications to treat certain symptoms.

For example:

• Antidepressants
• Mood stabilisers
• Antipsychotic drugs

3. Lifestyle Changes

Making some lifestyle changes can also help those who are going through narcissistic personality disorder. Such as:

• Refrain from using any substances like drugs or alcohol to trigger any symptom
• Look for healthier habits to adopt
• Involve in yoga and meditation to reduce stress and anxiety.

People with NPD may think the treatment is unnecessary and quit the process. However, it is important to keep an open mind and follow the treatment plan even after occasional setbacks. Staying focused and consistent is the key to recovering from this disorder.

If you recognise prominent narcissistic aspects and feel they are overwhelming. You must reach out to get medical help.

As there is no single medicine to treat narcissistic personality disorder, the sooner you report your condition more chances are for your recovery.

NPD can commonly occur with other psychological disorders like:

• Depression
• Anxiety Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder
• Substance Use Disorder

Since the causes of narcissistic personality disorder are unknown, there are no known preventive methods. Nevertheless, it may help those with NPD if they:

• Get treatment for any childhood mental health problems as soon as possible
• Partake in family or group therapy to learn healthier ways to manage or cope with conflicts and distress

Parents can attend special classes to get some guidance on healthy parenting so that they can identify early signs of narcissism.

Individuals with this personality disorder can face severe complications. Some examples of such situations are listed below:

• Difficult relationships
• Problems arise at work or school
• Experience frequent setbacks and depressive symptoms
• Develop other kinds of psychological disorders like anorexia
• Impact on physical health
• Alcoholism and/or substance use
• Having repetitive suicidal thoughts

It is difficult to live with someone who has NPD. Hence the family members should learn as much as possible about this disorder. Once they realise their source of behaviour, reactions, and feelings towards one another may change.

To help a family member or a close relative with narcissistic personality disorder, people can try the following:

• Family Counselling
• Couples Therapy
• Support Groups
• Individual Counselling

To wrap this up, a narcissistic personality disorder is a serious psychological condition that can get triggered by various factors. There are proofs that state men are more susceptible to this condition than women. In addition, people can manage symptoms of NPD if they follow their treatment methods which typically include therapy sessions and medications. Therefore, if you know anyone going through narcissistic traits, you can encourage them to seek medical help to get better.