I have Narcissistic Personality Disorder, AMA
I have Narcissistic Personality Disorder, AMA
When I was 20 I was diagnosed by a psychologist with having Narcissistic Personality Disorder. At first I was in denial about but over time I come to terms with my narcissism and the diagnosis started to make sense to me. A lot of my problems can be traced back to my unrealistic self image and lack of ability to relate with others.
There's a lot of stigma towards NPD. I hope by making this thread I can help others understand that having NPD doesn't inherently make you a bad person and NPD hurts the person with it as well.
Has being diagnosed helped you?
If you don’t mind sharing, what lead to the diagnosis?
For a small background: psychologists who have worked with my stepdaughter have expressed that her bio-dad (my wife’s ex-husband) has displayed some traits that could indicate NPD, but of course he would have to be formally evaluated for a diagnosis and that’s difficult to get someone with the disorder to do. The last time they were in court the judge was flabbergasted by his behavior and during the judgment expressed that he was close to ordering a mental evaluation, which I think is the only way we would ever know for sure. It’s pretty obvious that if he has the disorder then it has caused many negative impacts for him, but it is also hard to feel any sympathy towards him when I see how much harm he has done to two of the people I care about the most. It might be hard to accept if he ever was diagnosed and some treatment actually helped to counter the destructive behaviors simply because of how much damage was already done.
"Has being diagnosed helped you?"
Yes, definitely. It gives me a lot more insight into myself and I now understand myself better.
"If you don’t mind sharing, what lead to the diagnosis?"
Good question. That's for the therapist to decide. With that said it's never just one thing. It could have been a whole series of factors that let to the diagnosis. If I meet that psychologist again I'll ask him.
"For a small background: psychologists who have worked with my stepdaughter have expressed that her bio-dad (my wife’s ex-husband) has displayed some traits that could indicate NPD, but of course he would have to be formally evaluated for a diagnosis and that’s difficult to get someone with the disorder to do. The last time they were in court the judge was flabbergasted by his behavior and during the judgment expressed that he was close to ordering a mental evaluation, which I think is the only way we would ever know for sure. It’s pretty obvious that if he has the disorder then it has caused many negative impacts for him, but it is also hard to feel any sympathy towards him when I see how much harm he has done to two of the people I care about the most. It might be hard to accept if he ever was diagnosed and some treatment actually helped to counter the destructive behaviors simply because of how much damage was already done."
What an awful story. It goes without saying that not everyone with NPD is like that. If you don't mind me asking why was he in court?
Have you had relationships? How do they go?
Yes I have. When I was 14-15 I Dated a guy for a few months. It got old quickly. We stopped caring about each after a few months. When I was 19 I dated a guy for a few months but again I lost interest after a few months. It's hard for me to have a long term relationship with anyone. I get jealous easily and I can be very one sided. I've got my eyes set on someone at the moment. I'm going to see a therapist soon. I know I can love I just have problems. I need to learn to empathize with others and be more dedicated.
Joke question: jeez man, why you gotta make the post all about you?
Serious question: have you engaged in narcissistic abuse of anyone?
What even is "narcissistic" abuse? How is it any different then regular abuse?
It's about methodology and motivation, really.
Narcissistic abusers tend to things like gaslighting more than insults, or pushing the victim's buttons to make them seem unstable to get sympathy/attention. It tends to be about manipulation over direct abuse, though there is direct abuse sometimes.
An example would be a parent that constantly criticizes their child indirectly, by comparing them to "bad" kids, and then saying how good their child has it because some parents wouldn't put up with whatever imagined flaw is present.
Not that a narcissistic abuser never does direct abuse, they can and do. It's just that they tend to worry about appearances, so they reserve it for limited use. Like, the kid that makes a mistake in public and then gets beat at home because they made the parent look bad.
Thanks for making this AMA, I not too knowledgeable in this area so please forgive me if I am insensitive in asking this:
What kind of strategies do you employ to fulfil your need for attention, without acting rudely to others?
It’s no problem. There’s a lot of things I do/did for attention. When I was younger I used to take the wildest drugs I could get my hands on and brag to my classmates. I use social media a lot and I've got some friends that I use. Nightclubs and bars are good. There's always a lot of attention to get from there.
Ever since I was a teen I've found my self being very promiscuous. It's the best way to get attention from others.
How does your lack of ability to connect manifest?
Do you feel connected to characters in books or movies/do their hardships affect you?
Are you doing any kind of exercises to change patterns around thinking/relating?
How do you feel NPD hurts you?
Last one, don't answer if you don't want, but what caused you to seek out professional help?
"How does your lack of ability to connect manifest?"
Very superficial and short term relationships. It can be very isolating at times. I can connect to others but only if there really close to me.
"Do you feel connected to characters in books or movies/do their hardships affect you?"
They don't. There just made up.
"Are you doing any kind of exercises to change patterns around thinking/relating?"
Sometimes I think about others like there me. I know that sounds odd but helps me understand them. I try not to make everything about my self. I listen to others.
"How do you feel NPD hurts you?"
Yes, that's what I'm trying to get across in this thread. NPD is like a drug there's highs and lows. Sometimes when something good happens I just have this feeling that I deserve it. That I'm worthy but with that there's come downs. Sometimes things don't go to plan and makes me mad because how can I be wrong? It's hard to accept there's something wrong with you because you put yourself up on a pedestal and every mistake feels like your cracks are showing. You think that everyone else is as interested in you as you are.
"Last one, don’t answer if you don’t want, but what caused you to seek out professional help?"
I was having suicidal thoughts. I stopped seeing the psychologist cuz I lost interest.
Thanks for being open about it! How does it manifest? What's your experience interacting with other people?
No problem. I'm obsessed with how others look at me and I need constant validation and attention. I'm very driven by short term pleasure. I care more about the immediate validation and attention from others then long term relationships.
I found it hard to relate to others. Everyone else is like a secondary character or a NPC. I know this may sound bad but I found it hard to care about other people. I love my family and friends but it's hard to give anyone else attention.
What do you do for a living? How does NPD impact your work? Is it beneficial or detrimental? I imagine there are careers that would be particularly suited for someone with NPD.
What's your relationship with social media like? Active selfie-poster?
I use it a lot. I love when people interact with my posts or just comment. I can't get enough of it although that can be said for most people these days.
