Search Results for: blog dealing with a narcissistic mother

Why Is Narcissistic Personality Disorder So Little Known? (2)

In our last article, we looked at how a lack of knowledge about narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) keeps the children and the adult children of the narcissist in the dark as to the true nature of what is going on in the households in which they grew up. Clients often ask me why this condition is not well known and why it took them so long to discover that they were dealing with a particularly intractable problem with their parents. The answer is twofold: Mental illness of any sort is still largely a topic of taboo despite numerous campaigns to … Continue reading →

Celebrating Mother’s Day When You Don’t Like Your Mom

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You can’t miss the occasion of Mother’s Day. Advertisers refuse to let us. Wherever we turn we are bombarded with loving images of mothers and babies selling giftware from flowers to facials, and everything in between. But what happens if you don’t like your Mom? There is a huge societal rule that says “everyone loves their mom”. This is so imbedded in our psyche that to admit that you don’t actually like your mother often results in surprised looks, sounds of disbelief or even a lecture. “How could you not like your mother?” the naïve, lucky ones say. Sure, mothers … Continue reading →

Meet a Families.com Blogger – Beth McHugh!

Today we are joined by awesome blogger Beth McHugh. Beth, thanks for being here with us today! How long have you blogged for Families.com? Since the beginning…..December 2005. What topics do you blog about? I blog on Mental Health. I could use some mental health right about now. What is your favorite thing about blogging for Families.com? I like to bring what is largely a taboo subject out of the closet where it can be discussed in a friendly and comfortable environment. Mental illness affects most people, either directly or indirectly, yet it still remains something that many people do … Continue reading →

The Aging Narcissistic Parent (2)

The person who suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder finds the aging process more difficult to deal with than the average person. Looks fade, the body no longer responds like that of a young healthy person, and the mind is no longer as sharp as it once was. All this contributes to an increasing sense of entitlement of the behalf of the narcissist. Entitlement simply means that the person believes that they are entitled to special treatment; in fact, they should get it as a matter of course without having to ask for it. Many teenagers display this trait but happily … Continue reading →

The Aging Narcissistic Parent (1)

In previous articles I have talked about many aspects of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). See the links below for further insights into this puzzling yet extremely damaging condition. In this series of articles, we will look further into the mind of a narcissist and will also address ways for the adult child of a narcissist to deal with the challenges before them. To survive in an environment dominated and controlled by a narcissist, you need to be aware of your own weaknesses, i.e. the way your narcissistic parent manipulates you. I have called this characteristic a “weakness,” but under normal … Continue reading →

Escaping the Trap of the Narcissistic Mother

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In Dealing with a Narcissistic Mother, we looked at how 39-year-old Elinor was still caught up in a desperate game of trying to win the love and approval of her mother, who suffered from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. When Elinor came in for therapy she was sad, slightly depressed and full of rage for a mother who just could not give her the love and approval that Elinor wanted. Although Elinor had a loving husband, and two wonderful children, she was not happy. This is not unusual when basic childhood needs such as love and approval have not been delivered to … Continue reading →

Dealing with a Narcissistic Family Member

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In previous blogs on Narcissistic Personality Disorder, we looked at common behavioral patterns of the clinical narcissist as well as the diagnostic criteria required to be diagnosed with this disorder. Today we look at a case study of what it means to live with a person experiencing from this condition. People who suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder seldom seek treatment as they do not consider that there is anything wrong with them. Particularly in their early life, they experience little emotional pain as they are so caught up with their own lives, thoughts, plans, and actions that little else can … Continue reading →

Happy Christmas and New Year to All Mental Health Readers (2)

In my last article, I decided that rather than writing about mental illness in general, I would write about the personal experience of the recent death of my mother. I have written many articles on dealing with grief and you can find links to them at the end of this article. As in the first article in this latest series, I have decided to write about my own feelings on the death of a parent and how I coped and am still coping with this major milestone in my life. Losing a parent can be difficult, and the degree of … Continue reading →

Sadistic Narcissism: Margo’s Story (4)

In our continuing saga of Margo and her diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder with sadistic tendencies, we jump forward a few years and Margo is in her thirties and having her house renovated. She has employed an Asian painter to paint the inside of her house and he speaks little English. She phoned her sister Leah, who by this stage had restricted the number of encounters she had with her sister to effectively zero. However, whenever Margo had a gripe about their mother or in this instance, something “funny” to tell, she would ring her sister. She never noted that … Continue reading →