The word “narcissism” originates from a Greek myth in which a man names Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection. Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder characterized by a lack of empathy towards others, arrogance, an exaggerated sense of self-importance, and a desire for admiration. As of right now, scientists are not completely certain of the cause of this disorder. However, narcissistic personality disorder has been shown to be influenced by both genetics and environment. (1) One possibility is that the disorder is a result of superfluous praise or criticism. (2) Narcissistic traits could also be passed down genetically due to natural selection. (1) Due to the cause being unknown, there is also no way to prevent
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If a change in personality or behavior is detected, a physician should run tests to identify if there is a physical cause for the change. If there is no clear physical indicator, the patient may go to a psychologist or psychiatrist, because a family physician is usually not trained to make this kind of diagnosis. The psychologist or psychiatrist will then ask the patient some questions to get an understanding of their personality. They will most likely use the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, which is a set of 40 question that determines if a patient has narcissistic personality disorder. If the patient scores high enough on the inventory, a diagnosis will be made. …show more content…
(1) The medications for these other conditions can also be beneficial and help the patient with their narcissistic personality disorder. Narcissistic personality disorder can also go hand in hand with substance abuse and other problems with addiction. Patients should seek help for addiction problems as soon as possible, because their emotional problems and substance abuse along with other possible mental issues can feed off each other resulting in a cycle of bad mental health and unhealthy behaviors. (2) In one case study, an 85 year old caucasian has been diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder. The psychologists asked her a series of questions to gauge her personality as she has aged. They asked her to answer the questions twice; once as her present self and again as her younger self. After all the testing was complete, the psychologists determined that the patient met the requirements for only narcissistic personality disorder. They concluded that she lacked empathy, was exploitive of others, and had a great sense of entitlement. When the patient was asked if she thought she would achieve great things, her reply clearly portrayed her narcissism. She answered, “In every way: Intelligence, education, diet, exercise . . . We 're not talking about the average person
If a change in personality or behavior is detected, a physician should run tests to identify if there is a physical cause for the change. If there is no clear physical indicator, the patient may go to a psychologist or psychiatrist, because a family physician is usually not trained to make this kind of diagnosis. The psychologist or psychiatrist will then ask the patient some questions to get an understanding of their personality. They will most likely use the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, which is a set of 40 question that determines if a patient has narcissistic personality disorder. If the patient scores high enough on the inventory, a diagnosis will be made. …show more content…
(1) The medications for these other conditions can also be beneficial and help the patient with their narcissistic personality disorder. Narcissistic personality disorder can also go hand in hand with substance abuse and other problems with addiction. Patients should seek help for addiction problems as soon as possible, because their emotional problems and substance abuse along with other possible mental issues can feed off each other resulting in a cycle of bad mental health and unhealthy behaviors. (2) In one case study, an 85 year old caucasian has been diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder. The psychologists asked her a series of questions to gauge her personality as she has aged. They asked her to answer the questions twice; once as her present self and again as her younger self. After all the testing was complete, the psychologists determined that the patient met the requirements for only narcissistic personality disorder. They concluded that she lacked empathy, was exploitive of others, and had a great sense of entitlement. When the patient was asked if she thought she would achieve great things, her reply clearly portrayed her narcissism. She answered, “In every way: Intelligence, education, diet, exercise . . . We 're not talking about the average person