When it comes to questions about personality disorders, two common ones are narcissism and bipolar. Narcissists constantly need attention and often lack empathy for others. However, those who suffer from bipolar disorder experience extreme mood swings that can lead them to be depressed or manic. But which is worse, narcissism or bipolar disorder? And which one should you be more worried about?
The truth is, there’s no clear answer because they’re both serious conditions that should not be taken lightly. In order to make an accurate diagnosis, you must take into consideration many factors. These include the frequency and severity of the symptoms, duration of time since onset, and whether or not the individual has family members with similar diagnoses. A person shouldn’t feel ashamed about their diagnosis but rather seek treatment in order to live a healthy lifestyle. In this blog post, we will discuss different ways in which narcissism and bipolar disorder differ as well as the symptoms of each one.
What is narcissism?
A narcissistic personality disorder is a condition in which people have an inflated sense of self-importance. They want to be admired by others, and they need constant admiration and attention from other people. Narcissists are highly sensitive to criticism or disapproval, even if it comes from friends or family members. Their relationships with others are superficial and many times exploitative. The symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder can significantly interfere with relationships, work performance, and cause emotional problems that may lead to substance abuse issues or depression.
Symptoms
Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental illness that can have serious consequences. It’s important to know the symptoms and how to identify them in order to get help for someone you love. The following are some of the symptoms associated with narcissistic personality disorder:
- sense of entitlement
- seeking attention
- an exaggerated sense of self-worth or importance
- disregard for the feelings or needs of others
- fantasies of grandiose success or power
- the belief that one is special or unique
- taking advantage of others to achieve goals
- problems with self-esteem.
While some of these traits may not seem that serious, altogether they are extremely harmful to a person’s mental health and the mental health of those around them.
What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?
People who suffer from bipolar disorder can feel intensely manic or depressed- these feelings tend to be much stronger than those experienced by normal individuals as a result of their brain chemistry being different. For more information, check out our article is bipolar hereditary?
Symptoms
Mania
Sudden and drastic mood swings that can happen in just a few moments characterise bipolar sufferers. While many people experience low periods of depression, bipolar individuals often have brief episodes when they’re feeling really “high.” This elevated or manic state causes high self-esteem, an exaggerated belief in their own importance, increased sense of self-worth; it also includes feelings such as extreme happiness and euphoria — even mania — all generating positive energy. These symptoms may last for days to months at a time with some experiencing them on one single day while others only feel this way occasionally.
Depression
The diagnosis criteria are stringent and only a small percentage of people with depression will actually receive this diagnosis. People who have bipolar disorder may also experience intense sadness during an episode where everything seems hopeless.
They may also experience irritability when interacting with others (especially those close). They can also have feelings of guilt and shame due to negative thoughts about themselves and/or others. Bipolar can also cause sleep problems. With low energy levels on top of all this, many sufferers do not even have the strength necessary for basic functioning such as going out into public spaces or driving a car.
Other features
Bipolar disorder is not just about mood swings. Sometimes, anxiety and alcohol misuse can occur with it as well. During the manic phase of bipolar disorder, people may experience delusions. During a depressive episode, they might feel paranoid.
How do narcissism and bipolar disorder differ?
The key difference between a narcissistic personality disorder and bipolar disorder is the presence or absence of manic episodes. Individuals with narcissism do not experience manic episodes, while those who have a bipolar diagnosis may have them pop up sporadically.
The way an individual reacts to high stress or intense excitement can indicate if they are leaning towards narcissism or bipolar. Those who display excessive self-centeredness are likely to have Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). While those who show signs of mania may fall under Bipolar I diagnosis.
Is there a link between narcissism and bipolar disorder?
A person with bipolar disorder can have periods of mania or high energy. When in a manic state they may exhibit traits that overlap with narcissistic personality disorder. These include ideas of self-importance and grandiose perceptions. While this overlap is not always accurate, it does occasionally lead to misdiagnoses of either condition. This then results in incorrect treatment methods being used on them.
Essentially there is no real link between narcissim or bipolar. True, they have some symptom overlap, but that’s really where the relationship between them ends. There is a very low comorbidity rate between them, meaning that not many people with bipolar also have NPD, and vice versa.
Which one should I be worried about more?
This question is hard to answer, as both are serious mental health conditions. However, there are more ways to manage bipolar than there are for NPD.
Bipolar disorder is a chronic condition, but many people learn to manage their symptoms and function well. There may not be an outright cure for the illness, however, it’s possible that mood stabilizers such as lithium can help with less severe mood swings. Some individuals also benefit from antidepressants or antipsychotic drugs. Others require antianxiety medications often used in conjunction with therapy sessions like cognitive behavioural therapy where they work on identifying extreme emotions and better managing them accordingly.
However, NPD is different. It too is chronic and cannot be cured. However, there is no medication that can combat all the symptoms of NPD. Most times, narcissistic individuals don’t recognise that they need help, so they never seek it. Still many with NPD suffer from underlying anxiety and depression and may receive medication or therapy for those specific things. If someone seeks help specifically for the traits of personality disorders, a doctor might recommend counselling sessions. These could potentially lead them into trauma therapy. Both interventions work in healing individuals suffering from Personality Disorders.
For more information on bipolar, check out our postS on how to know if you have it, and how it feels to have BPD.