Posted: September 3rd, 2022

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)

Narcissistic Personality Disorder Research
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is one of the least researched disorders. Statistics show that men are more affected by women. 50% to 70% of those who are affected are males. Individuals with NPD exhibit symptoms, such as attention-seeking, grandiosity, and low self-esteem. They have financial, domestic, and interpersonal problems that make it hard for them to get stable jobs.
Clinical interviews are involved during diagnosis to find out whether a person has NPD. Kernberg’s structural assessment is efficient during research. When interviewed about their partners, NPD patients are likely to give derogative statements about their significant others. They also describe others based on the similarities and differences with themselves.
Differential diagnosis of NPD includes; bipolar disorder, drug and substance abuse, depression, and anxiety. People with NPD are attention seekers, which distinguish them from other disorders. They are aggressive towards others and themselves. These people lack empathy; they are sadists. A person with NPD is likely to have a challenging provider-patient relationship. They belittle and devalue health providers.
There are different subtypes of NPD. Grandiose thick-skinned overt subtype; people who fall into this category are great attention seekers, and they are full of grandiosity. They are also arrogant and a bit anxious. The fragile covert subtype is different; the people are shy, sensitive to evaluations, and distressed. The high functioning subtype has individuals with specific characteristics, such as attention-seeking, competition, and sexual provocation. It is difficult to identify an individual from this group because they are healthy.
People with NPD express a need for admiration, and they have an inferiority complex. Some of them are socially isolated; they engage in antisocial activities. These people have different health, mental and social problems. They engage in suicide attempts, interpersonal violence, and they have a criminal history.
Although there is no clinical test that has proved the efficacy of treatment options, psychopharmacologic, and therapeutic interventions apply in the treatment of NPD. Mental based therapy, transference focused psychotherapy, schema-focused psychotherapy, and dialectical behavioral therapies are recommendable.
During treatment, clinicians should be tolerant of the patient as they are likely to exhibit behaviors such as aggression. They should address all the negative perceptions the patient has about treatment to prevent them from discontinuing therapy. Clinicians should understand the differential diagnosis, NPD subtype, and the emotional reactions of the patient. They should involve the patient in the diagnosis and treatment process by finding out their impressions and using the patient’s words during therapy.

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