Have you ever been around someone who thought so highly of themselves that it alienated you? They might be a malignant narcissist and need mental health treatment to understand how they act and reduce their symptoms.
Montare Tucson can see past the annoying and egotistical behaviors that a malignant narcissist exhibits and understand the source of their symptoms. Our skilled staff of licensed therapists helps people with this disorder come to terms with their illness. With our help, they work on reducing their symptoms and learning to take the spotlight off themselves.
People with malignant narcissism have a deep-rooted need to focus on themselves at the expense of others. They appear totally self-absorbed to their partners, friends, family, and co-workers. A narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health disorder that includes five different types:
While all of the types of narcissism have things in common, a malignant narcissist exhibits more frequent and severe symptoms. In addition, they may also have another personality disorder that compounds their problems.
Malignant narcissism is a fascinating topic to many mental health professionals who offer treatment for it. In particular, they discuss the possible causes and the accompanying symptoms with the people they treat to gain a full understanding of how the individual experiences it.
Someone with malignant narcissism exhibits signs and symptoms that indicate they have this personality disorder. Specifically, they include:
It’s not always possible to pinpoint the exact reason a person becomes a malignant narcissist. It can develop as a result of certain factors or have no identifiable reason. For instance, if the person has a close relative who has the disorder, it makes it more likely they will develop it. In addition, the disorder can also happen to someone who experienced things during childhood like abuse or parents who did not provide boundaries and instead taught their child to feel entitled and above others.
Malignant narcissism itself is not classified as a mental health disorder, but rather, it is a subtype of narcissistic personality disorder. However, because it falls under the heading of a diagnosable mental illness, a person can receive treatment for it, and additionally, insurance will usually provide some form of coverage.
Malignant narcissists can be dangerous because because of how aggressive and unrelenting their behavior often becomes. As a result, their actions can cause emotional damage to others, including people close to them who have difficulty overcoming the damage done. As well, narcissists sometimes resort to outbursts and violent behavior, putting others in physical danger.
Anyone close to a malignant narcissist should therefore take steps to protect themselves and not continue to be victimized by the person. First and foremost, set boundaries and tell the person that if they don’t respect them, you will remove your presence from their life. However, if they are someone you cannot completely avoid, then severely limit the amount of contact you have with them.
Additionally, when a narcissist begins their typical speeches about how superior they are compared to others, do not play along. Instead, provide calm, balanced counter-opinions or walk away from the conversation. Moreover, do not fall for any attempts to blame you for their behaviors.
Most importantly, make sure to take care of yourself. For instance, seeing a therapist to help you process the emotions that come with being around a narcissist can help tremendously.
Narcissistic personality disorders are widely considered one of the most challenging to treat because the people who have them often refuse to acknowledge them. A professional treatment program with experience treating narcissism offers different types of therapy to help minimize the symptoms. These include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which helps the individual understand the correlation between how they think and feel and their resulting actions.
Moreover, dialectical Behavior Therapy teaches four tenets: mindfulness, emotion regulation, interpersonal development, and distress tolerance. Learning about these can help someone become better able to reduce their narcissistic behaviors. Furthermore, prescription medications can help relieve symptoms such as depression and anxiety that contribute to a person’s narcissism.
Do you know a malignant narcissist and want to find out how to get them the first-class treatment that can change their personality? Montare Behavioral Health of Tucson created our residential treatment program to help people identify their disorder and understand how to ease the symptoms. We provide multi-disciplinary therapies that show narcissists why they feel most comfortable with their attention-seeking behaviors. As they resolve the issues that influence their actions, they learn to minimize them.
Contact us today to find out more about how our mental health treatment program can help someone you love. Our admissions staff is waiting to hear from you.
Published: 4/14/2025
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