Understanding the Mood Swings of the Narcissist

Narcissism is a complicated personality disorder that can lead to sudden and intense mood swings. These mood changes happen in reaction to external events rather than due to changes inside the body.

The Nature of Narcissistic Mood Swings

Negative comments, criticism, disagreement, or questioning of their grand ideas can quickly turn them from feeling on top of the world to angry or depressed. On the flip side, even small gestures and positive reinforcement, such as attention, affirmation, or applause, can lift their mood from sadness to happiness.

Unlike disorders driven by biochemical factors, such as bipolar disorder, narcissistic mood swings are not cyclic or predictable. Instead, They are directly tied to how the narcissist perceives and interprets what’s happening around them.

External vs. Internal Triggers

These mood shifts are not due to fluctuations in body chemistry, such as blood sugar levels or neurotransmitter imbalances. While it’s theoretically possible that some unrelated factors, like genetic predispositions, could influence both narcissism and biochemical processes, this connection is unlikely.

Medical conditions, brain injuries, or metabolic diseases can cause temporary narcissistic traits. However, this type of narcissism usually goes away once the underlying medical problem is treated. This is different from true narcissistic personality disorder, where mood swings are always reactions to external events.

Comorbidity and Treatment

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) often coexists with other mental health conditions, such as depression or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). These comorbid conditions may be treated with medications, but the primary disorder of narcissism itself is not typically addressed with pharmaceuticals.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), like Prozac, are sometimes used to treat associated depression or OCD. However, they can sometimes make things worse for people with NPD, causing problems like serotonin syndrome or increased rage. Mood stabilizers and antipsychotic medications, such as lithium, are sometimes used and generally don’t have bad side effects for narcissism.

The Role of Psychotherapy

The main treatment for narcissistic personality disorder is psychotherapy. Long-term psychodynamic therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are often used. These therapies help address the underlying personality issues and teach healthier ways of interacting with others.

There’s some evidence that serotonin levels might be linked to narcissism. Still, it’s hard to measure this accurately due to unreliable, non-intrusive methods to measure brain serotonin levels. Thus, treatment remains focused on therapy rather than medication.

Narcissistic mood swings are unique because they depend on external validation and criticism. Understanding this helps in managing and treating narcissistic personality disorder effectively. While medication can help with other conditions that come with NPD, the primary focus should be on therapy to help individuals develop more stable and positive ways of relating to others and themselves.

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• Bye-bye to My Narcissist — An easy-to-read Master Guide to Understanding and Healing from Narcissistic Abuse. Download it here
• My other book: Real Tales of Regular People: Surviving a Narcissist. Get it here

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