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Misdiagnosing Narcissism - Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

« H E » email
posted Friday, 29 September 2006

By Sam Vaknin

(The use of gender pronouns in this article reflects the clinical facts: most narcissists are men.)

Anxiety Disorders - and especially Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - are often misdiagnosed as Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).

Anxiety is uncontrollable and excessive apprehension. Anxiety disorders usually come replete with obsessive thoughts, compulsive and ritualistic acts, restlessness, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and somatic manifestations (such as an increased heart rate, sweating, or, in Panic Attacks, chest pains).

By definition, narcissists are anxious for social approval or attention (Narcissistic Supply). The narcissist cannot control this need and the attendant anxiety because he requires external feedback to regulate his labile sense of self-worth. This dependence makes most narcissists irritable. They fly into rages and have a very low threshold of frustration.

Like patients who suffer from Panic Attacks and Social Phobia (another anxiety disorder), narcissists are terrified of being embarrassed or criticised in public. Consequently, most narcissists fail to function well in various settings (social, occupational, romantic, etc.).

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Copyright 2006 American Chronicle

tags: generalized anxiety disorder    

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