6 replies to this topic

[MikeGreo]

Hi,

 

A close relative of mine has NPD. Though his condition has not be clinically been diagnosed by professionals I'm pretty sure he is.

 

It saddens me to seen him the way he is. And my assumption is the as he gets older it will get worse.

 

Does supplements help at all with people suffering with NPD? Is there a correlation been being selfish and in denial with brain health?

 

Does psychotherapy and hypnotherapy like treatments help with people suffering with such conditions?

 

And lastly, are there any books/DVD/website to help this person see that this is a bad thing and encourage them to change?

 

Thanks

Edited by MikeGreo, 29 January 2015 - 04:08 PM.

[sensei]

Cognitive behavioral therapy and psycho-analytic Psychotherapy are the cornerstones of treating NPD.

 

Mostly medication is used for anxiety depression or mood swings.

 

Retraining the thought processes and memes that caused, were caused by, and reinforced the NPD is what is effective.

[Tom_]

True NPD is relatively rare, seen in 1/500 or so people. Its more likely this person has disordered personality traits (of course I've never met this person and I could be wrong). The good news is traits are easier to manage than a full blown personality disorder.

 

It can be very hard to get NPD patients into treatment and ususally the only way this can be managed is if they feel there is some benefit to them, as they don't believe there is anything wrong with them (in nearly all cases, it is possible but extremely rare).

 

The other problem with the management of NPD is a poverty of research in the area and no firmly shown effective treatments. There is no 'cure' somebody with personality problems - the way they think and behave has become deeply ingrained.

 

All of that being said there are good options that can lead to drastic improvements - including in most cases a full recovery, altough there will always be elements of the disorder just much reduced.

 

Therapy is the mainstay of treatment, at least of the personality disorder. Other psychiatric problems are extremely prevelent and may need drug treatments or additonal psychotherapy. Group psychotherapy is ususally the best, although this can be improved by group therapy alongside 1:1 therapy (in particular if its the same therapist). DBT was developed for borderline personality disorder but can be a good option for NPD. CBT is another fairly similar option. If one of these could be combined with a more analytic therapy this would be ideal. Cognitive analytic therapy is also another possibility.

 

Medication can play a role, it can reduce the impact of certain traits - in particular anger, low mood and anxiety even if they are personality related rather than another psychiatric disorder. They certainly shouldn't be the mainstay of treatment for NPD (in BPD for example medication CAN play a major part in treatment) and its possible your loved one will have symptoms of more than one personaltity disorder - most people don't meet the criteria for any single disorder but do have a personality disorder.

 

For NPD a trial of SSRI's, SNRI, Buspirone or Moclobremide are the possible options. Atypical anti-psychotics and mood stabilizers can be considered but are not worth the side effects unless symptoms are severe and/or dangerous and are only really likely to help with anger.

 

Hypnotherapy has some evidence for use in anxiety disorders but there is no indication it would be of any use for a personality disorder.

 

Supplements are a waste of money.

Edited by Tom_, 03 February 2015 - 10:51 PM.

[Flex]

The only thing I know is that (IIRC) Cocaine can make it worser.

I´ve recherched how to reverse those cocaine effects but coudnt find anything exept the suggestion of cognitive behavioral therapy

[Flex]

See:

Dissociable Effects of Serotonin and Dopamine on the Valuation of Harm in Moral Decision Making

http://www.cell.com/...9822(15)00595-3

 

Though, I would be carefull about 4years to decades long sexual dysfunctions aka PSSD

http://www.longecity...sd/#entry730513

[Duchykins]

There doesn't seem to be a cure for any of the personality disorders (part of the reason they are categorized that way) at this time.  However, symptoms can be mitigated (IF they are truly open to treatment which is a problem with quite a bit of the personality disorders) primarily with CBT and hard work at changing the way you perceive and react to everything.  

 

Medications used on people with personality disorders are usually only used to deal with peripheral (or comorbid) symptoms like depression (antidepressants, stimulants), anxiety (benzos, beta-blockers, etc), anger/aggression (typical and atypical antipsychotics).   Also mood stabilizers. 

 

Personality disorders are not caused by chemical imbalances in the brain; although we still have a great deal more to learn about PDs, the biggest culprit apparent so far is one's experiences growing up.  There are no meds that can treat the personality disorder itself because it is about maladaptive or abnormal perceptions of reality, thought patterns, and behaviors.  No drugs have been invented yet that can alter these things.  By the time these people get to doctors as adults, they have been set in their ways since their teens and their brain is a bit hard-wired for their particular disorder.  

 

Very inflexible and difficult to change; we are talking about personality traits that we see as abnormal, relative to cultural norms.  Try to think about how hard it would be for you to alter one of your personality traits.  If you're a generally humble or self-effacing person, try to imagine how difficult it would be to alter this behavior to something a little more prideful; not pretending to be proud and overriding your impulse for be humble, but to actually abolish the humble impulse and replace it with the proud impulse.  Completely change your default position.  Very very difficult for adults to do, takes a lot of time and constant effort.

 

The personality disorders are probably the most difficult to treat because it requires patient willingness and cooperation (quite a bit do not believe there is something wrong with them or that it's so bad they need treatment) and steadfast commitment to therapy (lots of people stop therapy after just a few months).  But more importantly the goal is to change the way someone thinks and reacts.

 

Btw, there is no real pattern suggesting personality disorders inherently worsen with time.

 

People with NPD will not normally seek therapy on their own (they are unlikely to believe they have a problem, nor do the majority cause others such harm that would compel treatment or at least make it obvious to the patient that they need help).  But they can be talked into trying therapy by friends and family.  If you try this I suggest you present a very logical, calm argument and make sure you have some evidence to back up things you say in case he challenges your point of view.

 

And Tom was spot on.

Edited by Duchykins, 06 July 2015 - 05:16 AM.

[katrina]

If he is narcissist, I suspect he would not want to cure it.

 

I had a childhood friend many years ago like this.  She moved away to another state and I lost touch.  One day I looked her up on FB where I found that she is constantly posting photos of herself all doctored with stars etc...  This is the only thing she posts on her FB page.  Nope hasn't changed...    I snuck off without saying a word. 

Edited by katrina, 06 July 2015 - 07:48 AM.