Narcissistic Victim Syndrome

What is Narcissistic Victim Syndrome?

Narcissistic Victim Syndrome is a personality disorder, in which affected individual develops an abnormal or deviant behavior. The terrible outcome of this type of behavior is carnage on people who has a close relationship with the affected victim.

Narcissistic Victim Syndrome affected individual has a pretentious sense and that require admiration, attention, praise and affection. This behavior gradually converted to grandiose ego or superiority complex. They usually showed their tantrum to others who are sympathetic to their portrayal of having a troubled past, riddled with bad decisions, and bad luck. ^1,3

Freeze Response

Fight-flight-freeze response in which individual’s mental condition overwhelmed and metal capacity become paralyzed. The mental or emotional immobilized condition is the alarming situation leads to destruct the one’s wisdom. In this condition, endorphins a chemical secreted from the nervous system and provide an analgesic effect. Therefore, self-harm also not hurting enough for stopping to repeat the activity².

Symptoms

The following are the basic symptoms of Narcissistic Victim Syndrome

• Disassociation
• Escaping from interaction/ Aloofness
• Shock
• Nervousness
• Sleep disturbances
• Anorexia or loss of appetite
• Loss of memory or impaired memory
• Enduring lethargic condition
• Depression
• Disoriented
• Perplexity
• Flashbacks
• Annoyance/Bitterness
• Depression
• Suicidal or self-harming attitude
• Difficulty in concentration

If we elaborately discuss the symptoms of Narcissistic Victim Syndrome, it is necessary to discuss the symptomatic approaches made by experts during counseling of the patient. It has been quite common the affected individuals unaware of their emotional pain and mental suffering.

The affected individuals often restrict in their own inadequacy, failure, and they have instant solution seeking attitude, but unable to analyze a solution of the specific problem. Experts often noticed non-compliance of the therapy, attention deviation, but usually no findings of sexual fantasy.

Experts also noticed that Narcissistic Victim Syndrome affected individual unable to focus because preoccupied confusions may they try to solve during the canceling. Therefore, their mind is not free, which also interfere their speech ability.

It has been also noticed that during counseling, the affected individual cannot readily admit about any problem happen in his/ her life, and the following statement repeatedly used:

• “There is absolutely no major issue, just want to discuss some minor things”.
• “Our family is a happy family and most often share everything within the family”.

These repeated statements describe something wrong is going on her mind and that influences imbalanced sense, but affected individuals try to show everything is normally going on in her/his life^1,3,5,6.

Similarities of Narcissist victim syndrome and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The following are the similarities associated with Narcissist victim syndrome and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder:

• Disturbed thought process
• Intrusive memories
• Remembering of abuse or trauma trigger physical and mental reactions
• Nightmares about abusing incidence
• Flashback
• Trauma-related distortion
• Blaming attitude
• Negative thoughts
• Irritability and hyper-vigilance⁵

Causes

An insensitive abusing behavior causes the onset of Narcissistic Victim Syndrome. Over a period of time victim exposed to an excessive terror condition in narcissistic abuse. Usually, after this type of abuse, the victim need love and support to overcome the condition. If victim unable to get such type of love and support, then gradual frustration overwhelm their attitude^3,4.

Pathophysiology

In Narcissistic Victim Syndrome, the affected individual often uncertain about themselves and they is very less confident. They always try to give an explanation that they can’t make any mistake. Often confuse and unable to make their decision because of lack of confidence.

Gradually their confidence level becomes so less that they mistrust their own memory, decision or perception. Worsening of this condition leads to depression^3,4.

Recovery

Narcissistic Victim Syndrome affected individual require emotional support to express their experiences. They require proper education and understanding of the consequences occur due to Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

They need to realize that this mental condition can ruin their all relationships. They need counseling for the management of the handling of the situation. They require therapy to control the symptoms. TAfamily member also works hard to remove the abnormal behavior from the victim and assist in regaining their self confidence^5,6.

References

1. Christine. Narcissist Victim Syndrome. Retrieve from http://narcissisticbehavior.net/narcissistic-victim-syndrome-what-the-heck-is-that/
2. Leon F. Seltzer. Trauma and the Freeze Response: Good, Bad, or Both? Retrieve from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201507/trauma-and-the-freeze-response-good-bad-or-both
3. Surviving After Narcissistic Abuse. Retrieve from https://npsurvivors.blogspot.in/2012/05/trauma-bonding-and-stockholm-syndrome.html
4. Donna Hines Narcissistic Victim Syndrome and How to Help Victims Heal Retrieve from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141030165049-141613845-narcissistic-victim-syndrome-and-how-to-help-victims-heal
5. Athena Staik. Narcissistic Abuse and the Symptoms of Narcissist Victim Syndrome. Retrieve from https://blogs.psychcentral.com/relationships/2017/03/narcissistic-abuse-and-the-symptoms-of-narcissist-victim-syndrome/
6. Jeni Mawter. Narcissistic Victim Syndrome. Retrieve from http://www.jenimawter.com/narcissistic-victim-syndrome/comment-page-5/