Narcissistic personality

disorderBy: Perla Urias

Per. 35/5/2011

What Is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?• It’s a condition were people develop a self

loathing, self-importance for them selves.

• In other words “It’s all about me”, “The world revolves around me”, “I love me!”…etc.

• Many celebrities suffer from this disorder; ex: Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan…Etc.

What They Believe…

• People with this disorder feature:• Thinking they are better than others• Fantasize about power, success, and

attractiveness.• take advantage of others • Jealousy for others• Believe others are jealous of them• Believe they are special and act accordingly to

it• They feel like they deserve to be treated

better than everyone else.• They also set unrealistic goals.

DSM Criteria• (1) has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g.,

exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

• (2)  is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

• (3)  believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)

• (4)  requires excessive admiration

• (5)  has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations

DSM Criteria Cont.

• (6)  is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends

• (7)  lacks empathy:  is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

• (8)  is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her

• (9)  shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

Etiology(Causes)

• What causes Narcissistic Personality Disorder is the excessive amount of pampering, also the opposite of it; neglect or abuse as a child.

• Also when a child's parents have a need for their children to be talented or special so that they can maintain their self-esteem.

• The disorder is usually detected in early adulthood.

Prevalence (Common)

• According to DSM statistics Narcissistic Personality Disorder is only suffered in 1% of the population.

• Sigmund Freud thought that it is common in everyone because at some point “all human infants pass through a phase of primary narcissism, in which they assume they are the center of their universe. The phase ends when the baby is forced by the realities of life to recognize that it does not control its parents but in fact entirely dependent on them.”(http://www.minddisorders.com/Kau-Nu/Narcissistic-personality-disorder.html)

Treatment

There are various treatments for Narcissistic Personality Disorder; Psychoanalysis and psychotherapy are some of them. They are the usual treatments used on those who suffer from the disorder. It doesn’t cure the disorder but it helps make them understand a little about what they suffer from, sometimes medication is added to treat them so they won’t get anxiety attacks, mood swings, or fall into depression.

There are 3 types of therapy; Cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, and group therapy.

Therapy Types

• Cognitive behavioral therapy is where the emphasis on how one thinks and feels is discussed.

• Family therapy is where the structure of a family and their beliefs affects all the family members.

• Group therapy is where 6 to 10 people meet face to face and they meet with a therapist and together decide what they want to talk about.

Prognosis

• There is no recovery for NPD. The American Psychiatric Association says it is permanent and incurable.

Examples

• Marilyn Monroe is an example of one of the few people in the world who suffer from NPD; she was overly obsessed with her image and had an over sexualized behavior, but she still found ways to manage her relationships.

• The cause for her disorder came from her traumatic childhood; she never knew her father and her mother was institutionalized for mental illness. She spent most of her life in foster homes and with family and friends. She was sexually abused at a young age and she married for the first time at age 16 and divorced at age 20.

Example # 2

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mty0kkLZul8

• Moms’ encouraging their children to be in beauty pageant competitions because they believe their child has talent and should be in the pageants. This can lead the child to NPD.

ReferenceMayo Clinic(n.d). Mayo clinic narcissistic personality disorder. Retrieved from

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder/DS00652/DSECTION=symptoms

Bright Hub (2011). Bright hub the hub for bright minds. Retrieved from http://www.brighthub.com/mental-health/depression-mood/articles/101906.aspx

(2011) .Encyclopedia of mental disorders. Retrieved from http://www.minddisorders.com/Kau-Nu/Narcissistic-personality-disorder.html

Medicine net(1996). Medicine net.com We Bring Doctor’s Knowledge to You. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/narcissistic_personality_disorder/article.htm#causes

Pinsky, Dr. D. (2009). The mirror effect. The U.S: Harper Collins Publishers.

Discussion Question

• It is said the causes of NPD could come from the parents excessive pampering or the neglect and abuse they received. What do you think is the main cause for those who suffer from NPD?