Dual Diagnosis In Narcissism

Today we will talk about how dual diagnosis in narcissism and how theycompound the problem.

1. Borderline Personality Disorder. This is an instability in mood which causes a narc to become even more unstable in his or her rages. It causes problems in work relationships as well as personal relationships and personal identity. It is a borderline of psychosis and neuroses and is a combination of environmental and genetic factors.

A. Examples are: Spending too much money on a whim, unsafe sex practices, binge eating, and substance abuse. A narc already has these issues and when borderline personality disorder is thrown in the mix it is 100 times magnified.

2. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is another factor. We hear this a lot and we think of soldiers when we hear it but there are many causes for it. Sexual trauma, physical or mental abuse, causes detachment from others. Narcs already have this and treat people as objects. Flashbacks, panic attacks, nightmares regarding the trauma, insomnia, irritability, anger and self medicating are already traits of a narc and this diagnosis makes it worse.

3. Anxiety Disorder causes restlessness, indecisiveness, fretting about the anxiety, mental stress, migraines, memory loss, and irrational fears whic are already traits of narcs.

4. Depression is sadness, hopelessness, negativity, worthlessness, never feeling good as the victims they choose, sleep problems, fatigue, problems concentrating. Narcs already have these tendencies and often enjoy sadism and taunting their victims to make themselves feel better about themselves. This can, if left untreated, lead to stalking and homicide.

5. Bi-Polar is mood swings which a narc already has causing his or her rages to be out of control and can lead to homicide. It can cause euphoric highs where they will go on extravagant shopping sprees which narcs already do. Rapid thoughts where they can’t get one project done before on to another. Easily agitated or angered which are already narc traits. Increased physical activity and erratic driving. Compulsive sex with strangers or hookers. Decreased need for sleep. Sadness, self gratification which if we know a narc we already know is a problem. Withdrawal from partner or other family.

Anyone who has been or is in a relationship with a narc already knows all of these problems well. Many will argue that a narc is not born a narc but rather made. I say that it is a mental illness like one of those above that is not caught and treated early on and poor parenting and lack of trestment by a professional in the early years instills it in them.

Once the narcissism has taken hold its very difficult to remove it in the teens and early adulthood. Parents who let kids be brats and never give discipline, those who spoil kids and give them everything, and parents who abuse their kids are all parents creating narcissists. Be a parent not a friend. Peace and light.