Another is that there are no pharmaceutical fixes. One reason for a lack of treatment, say experts, is that narcissists rarely show up in a therapist’s office. That’s mainly because NPD is a less studied condition than most other disorders. The question of fixing someone through treatment is a bit more complicated, however. Its most extreme form is NPD, a psychological condition that impairs a person’s ability to form normal relationships and wreaks havoc on those who have close encounters with it.” The Treatment Factor In 2009, Emily Yoffe, a contributing editor at The Atlantic, summed it up this way for Slate: “The problem occurs when narcissism becomes the primary principle of someone’s personality. Their disorder makes it hard for them to understand social situations and relationships,” says the website, which lists NPD in the Cluster B category, alongside antisocial, borderline, and histrionic personality disorders.ĭrawing the distinction between taking a healthy ego to extremes and an NPD diagnosis is an interesting question. “People with personality disorders often struggle to interact with the world. Web MD describes personality disorders as mental disorders caused by an unhealthy pattern of thought and behavior, and divides them into categories known as clusters. Since 1980, a form of narcissism has been recognized in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM) as narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), where it is defined as a personality disorder comprising “a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy.” Let’s start with the last question first. Witty conversations are replaced by sentences such as, “I don’t know.” Loneliness and isolation ice over the honeymoon stage, thanks to petty arguments, silent treatments, and explosive bouts of rage.Īs you watch someone’s personality slowly unhinge and the relationship fall apart due to narcissistic behaviors, the obvious questions become: Can this person be fixed? What drives narcissists to be narcissists? And finally, is narcissism a mental disorder? Shared desserts start to taste bland while the narcissist grows obsessed with their phone. Anxiety and confusion set in for the other person. Kissy face emojis go rogue while good morning texts arrive in scarce supply. Now, for the not-so-normal relationship: where one person is a narcissist. Weeks stretch into months, and deep emotional connections ignite the honeymoon phase of the relationship. The pair experiences joy and laughter over espresso and indulgent bites of tiramisu. Soon, good morning texts with kissy face emojis start to regularly ping. Typical behaviors unfold, like flirting, followed by a test of the suitor’s capacity for witty banter. In a normal relationship, it goes something like this: Two people catch that distinct twinkle in each other’s eyes.
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