Narcissistic Personality Disorder Traits, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, And FAQs

In our schools, colleges, office, and other areas we either work in or study, we come across few people who are constantly in need of extra praise for their work and attention, it is not to be mistaken that all those people are having a narcissistic personality disorder, but you never know some of them might have started to develop symptoms making the surrounding a bit uncomfortable for other co-workers or batchmates. It is estimated by various surveys that around 6% of people living in the United States have a narcissistic personality disorder.

In this article, you will get to know all the information related to Narcissistic personality disorder and what are its various symptoms, causes, and treatments. Keep reading to know more.

What Is Narcissistic Personality Disorder or NPD?

A narcissistic personality disorder is a personality issue or disorder in which a person starts to have an inflated or elevated opinion of himself or herself. A person remains in constant need of getting admiration, praises, and attention from all the people surrounding the even for the slightest bit of thing that does.

People suffering from NPD are not generally happy and remain disappointed when they do not get the required or expected admiration or praise from others which they believe that they should get and deserve while others not sometimes. People surrounding them might see them conceited and snobbish. Also, it happens at times that people get irritated and do not enjoy being surrounded by people having NPD or narcissistic personality disorder.

There are different areas where NPD can lead to major differences and problems like school, work, or relationships with other people.

Although it is a concern for many people, there are options to treat with certain talk therapies or improvements in lifestyle.

What Are Different Traits Of Person Having Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

When asked a lot of people who were living with people who suffered from NPD, some common terms were given to define the people with NPD, as arrogant, demanding, and self-centered.

It did not stop here, a person suffering from NPD is said to have self-esteem higher than others. These people consider themselves to be more superior and special than others and believe that people should praise them and consider them that much important. They are not able to take friendly criticism of any kind and for them the other person is inferior.

The term used for people having a narcissistic personality disorder is “Narcissist”. A narcissist has a tendency of exaggerating their accomplishments and talents at the same time sidelining others’ achievements which is a quality of superiority complex.

It is important to know that these people are always preoccupied with their success, power, and beauty. Such people also engage themselves completely in gambling, risks, etc. that may harm them.

Sometimes the traits mentioned above might appear as enthusiasm and confidence, however, you might be able to figure out the difference between healthy confidence and Narcissism. For instance, a person who is confident and has healthy self-esteem is always humble towards others making a point, whereas a narcissist does not show that behavior at all. Instead of being humble, they tend to do the pedestal walking, which means seeing others beneath them.

Different Symptoms Of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

This disorder is not at all genetic, instead, it starts to appear at the beginning of one’s adulthood. If you have this disorder you are not likely to admit it or believe something wrong exists in your personality until your self-esteem and image are harmed. If you have a narcissistic personality disorder, these are certain symptoms that can help you conclude.

• Others start avoiding you because you are coming across as boastful and pretentious in front of all of them.
• Your partner is not happy and the relationships you are building are not fulfilling.
• You constantly become angry, unhappy, and confused when the activity you are a part of doesn’t go very well as per your plans or ways.
• There are a lot of ongoing problems with finances, works, school, relationships, drugs, and alcohol that affects you entirely emotionally and physically.

If you think or believe that these types of issues are emerging in your life or noticing these symptoms, you should consult or schedule an appointment with a mental health professional or a doctor. Cooperate with doctors and medical professionals to perceive all the symptoms and issues you are facing to provide a suitable treatment that will help you manage these symptoms. Also, it is not necessary that you have NPD if you have a few symptoms mentioned above, always cross-check with a doctor.

All the doctors and health officials including mental health professionals use the new edition DSM-5 (diagnosis and statistical manual ) of mental illness and disorders. This criterion of the DSM-5 diagnosis for a disorder like NPD has the following below mentioned traits.

• Having an elevated sense of entitlements and self-importance.
• In need of constant praise and admiration.
• Expecting or demanding special privileges or treatment due to a perceived sense of superiority.
• Showcasing and exaggerating talents and achievements gained so far.
• Having bad reactions to critical criticism.
• Always being on the verge of showing superiority complex
• Being preoccupied with false fantasies about success, power, and beauty.
• using others for their own advantages or benefits
• Being unable to recognize other’s needs, hurt, and sentiments over their own.
• Having arrogant and cruel behavior towards others.

When you visit a doctor, you shall be asked certain questions and given a few criteria or situations where you will be asked to respond and mention your opinion, Based on that the doctors will fill the criteria given in DSM-5 and determine if you have a narcissistic personality disorder and provide the treatments. They also might test you for having other mental issues.

Few Causes Of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Although the causes of narcissistic personality disorder are not very well understood by doctors and researchers, environmental factors along with inherited factors together may contribute to NPD. Some common causes seen by studying different cases are mentioned below that may lead a person to become a narcissist.

• Any sort of neglect or abuse during childhood.
• Pampering by loved ones or parents excessively also may lead to the need for praise.
• Unrealistic expectations you keep from everyone.
• Sexual promiscuity is said to be often accompanying narcissism.
• different cultural influences.

Different Treatments For Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Psychotherapy

Primarily you can expect a good session of talk therapy as a treatment for NPD. This is also known to be Psychotherapy. There are cases when you might face anxiety or depression due to behavioural changes or other reasons, in this case, there are some medications you need to take for depression, however, there are no particular medications made for Narcissistic personality disorder.

Psychotherapy or talk therapy is very useful when it comes to treating NPD. You will be able to learn and grow as a person and know how to be more enjoyable, rewarding, and intimate. Talk therapies provide you a chance to interact better with the other person and keep a positive approach and humbleness towards others leading to improvement in all the arena of life.

Some other benefits of Psychotherapy are:

• Improvement in communication and collaboration with peers and co-workers.
• Builds stronger relationships with others.
• Recognize all the potential and strength you possess.
• Helps you learn from critical criticism and failures.
• Manage and understand all the feelings you are feeling.
• Cope up with issues related to self-esteem.
• Helps in setting better and realistic goals for life.

Do not expect the therapy to get over within a few days or a month. The therapy may continue and take years of time and the changes that will occur will be seen gradually. At times during any unlikely circumstance, you might feel that the therapy is not working and feels like quitting. But it is very important to stick to a proper treatment of talk therapy in narcissistic personality disorder.

Keep attending all the therapy sessions and see the changes after a few months. Following are some lifestyle changes or remedies you can incorporate in your lifestyle to see the changes earlier.

• Do not take drugs, alcohol, and similar things that might trigger a negative lifestyle.
• Do follow a yoga routine that increases mindfulness and a workout session that relieves stress.
• Engage in good techniques for relaxation for instance meditation in the morning to cope up with anxiety.

Always keep your goals in mind during recovery that will always help you stay motivated. Think about the changes talk therapy can make in your relationships which will help you get through the process.

Symptoms usually keep improving at the time of treatment.

Tips For Dealing With Someone Having Narcissistic Personality Disorder

1. Accept Them For How and who They Are

There is nothing much you can do about their personality, so learn to accept how they are. It is possible that they feel comfortable with you.

2. Do Not Constantly Focus On Them

Although attention seems to usually gravitate towards narcissistic personality due to their boasting nature, does not make them a topic of discussion or constantly backfire at them fr everything because they work harder than the others to remain in the spotlight whether it is positive or negative.

Take care of yourself too, it is not always your job to make everything alright.

3. Speak Up For Yourself

heard of picking your own battles? This is something you should do to shut others down when your private space of self-esteem is hurt.

Some people having this disorder likes to shut others down and make fun of them. Do not walk out of such situations as it might boost their energy to do the same thing again with you. You have to become specific about the limits they can touch when they are in conversation with you.

4. Do Not fear In Setting Clear Boundaries

Narcissists have very little or no set boundaries and they do not understand what you are going through or ask your opinion before proceeding anywhere. They also might force you to speak about personal details and stuff in public places which is not good. Therefore it becomes very crucial to set your boundaries.

Tell them about all the consequences they might face if something freaks you out.

5. Expect Them To Step back

Yes! it is as simple as it sounds. When you set your boundaries and speak up for yourself, they might come up with their own rules and creates a situation where they make you feel guilty for everything they have done, do not step back. Firmly stick to your words and ask them to push back.

6. It Is Not You That Is On Fault

If you are dealing with a narcissistic person, by now you are aware that they are bad at admitting their mistakes and more likely to put the blame on you. They are not in any mood to take responsibility for their mistakes or anything that would have hurt you.

You might want to end all the fights and accept their fault as yours, but this gives them a push to show this negative behaviour with you again and again also they will expect others to accept the fault every time and praise them for no good.

7. Look For A Support System

Being in constant touch with a narcissistic personality may hurt and drain your emotional capabilities. Try to nurture new relationships and rekindle with your old ones as it is very important.

8. Do Not Rely Only On Promises, Insist Them On Immediate Actions

Narcissists are good at faking promises. They will keep following you making many promises but will not amend them. Don’t mistake again and again by matching their words to their actions. Initially, they have the motivation to keep you happy but as soon as the motivation disappears, they will easily manipulate you and forget the promise made.

Ask them to take action by reminding them. Just be consistent.

9. Understand That Medical Help Is Needed

Your partner or other people you surround who is facing narcissistic personality disorder will not see any problem or consider taking help from a medical professional for themself as for them they are absolutely fine.

But they may have depression or mental breakdown. Take charge by seeking help from doctors for your partners good.

10. Understand that You Need help Too

If you are also going through symptoms that indicate anxiety or depression, by constantly dealing with a person having a narcissistic personality disorder look for help from the doctors. Your health and mental peace are primarily important in such a situation. Do not handle everything alone without seeking help.

These were certain things you should be aware of about narcissistic personality disorder to have a better understanding of the disorder and the people surrounding you.