Psycho's

It is a good thing I am going into psychology. I wish I had the stamina to go to med school - I would have went into psychiatry. I find psycho's fascinating (and all mental illnesses for that matter). Psychopaths/sociopaths are special people - they are not all serial killers, you know. While I find them interesting, they repulse me too. I still want to get in their head and see what they are thinking. I guess I am able to do that to a certain point. I just need confirmation though. You can get that through their behavior - you can tell what they are thinking by their actions but it would be nice if you could trust them enough and they were honest enough to really tell you what they are thinking and why they do the things they do. Often times, though, they are clueless to their own thinking; the whys and reasons of their behavior. There is not a lot of introspection going on. They are on automatic pilot and do their best to act like normal people, or better than normal people. But you can always tell becuase they come accross as fake - they are not being real. Inside they are a seething mass of BS.

 

 

How about another personality disorder? This one seems to fit someone I know. Can you guess who I am thinking of?

 

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

 

Category

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Personality Disorders

 

Etiology

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Like most personality disorders, there are many factors that may contribute to the development of symptoms.  Because the symptoms are long lasting, the idea that symptoms begin to emerge in childhood or at least adolescence is well accepted.  The negative consequences of such symptoms, however, may not show themselves until adulthood.

 

Symptoms

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The symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder revolve around a pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and sense of entitlement. Often individuals feel overly important and will exaggerate achievements and will accept, and often demand, praise and admiration despite worthy achievements.  They may be overwhelmed with fantasies involving unlimited success, power, love, or beauty and feel that they can only be understood by others who are, like them, superior in some aspect of life.

 

There is a sense of entitlement, of being more deserving than others based solely on their superiority.  These symptoms, however, are a result of an underlying sense of inferiority and are often seen as overcompensation.  Because of this, they are often envious and even angry of others who have more, receive more respect or attention, or otherwise steal away the spotlight.

 

Treatment

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Treatment for this disorder is very rarely sought.  There is a limited amount of insight into the symptoms, and the negative consequences are often blamed on society.  In this sense, treatment options are limited.  Some research has found long term insight oriented therapy to be effective, but getting the individual to commit to this treatment is a major obstacle.

 

Prognosis

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Prognosis is limited and based mainly on the individual's ability to recognize their underlying inferiority and decreased sense of self worth.  With insight and long term therapy, the symptoms can be reduced in both number and intensity.