Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) share similar symptoms and risk factors, including high levels of perfectionism, a need for control, and rigid thought and behavior patterns.
What Are Some of The Differences Between OCD and Narcissistic Personality Disorder? One of the biggest differences is that narcissism is a personality disorder, while OCD is a thought-processing disorder. In other words, OCD is based on intrusive thoughts, doubts, and mental images.
Based on overlapping symptoms, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) are often mistaken for one another.
It's no surprise then that those who suffer from narcissism often suffer from symptoms of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). When combined, OCD and narcissism may cause severe mental, emotional, and even physical issues. Those who suffer from OCD and narcissism may also be abusive, both emotionally and physically.
The person with OCD may go to great lengths to pursue the person to ask their relentless questions, and I have seen several cases where they would even manipulate to the point of threatening to harm themselves or do desperate things if their questions went unanswered.
It has been established that cluster-C personality traits are common in patients with OCD.
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
These individuals tend to be overly controlling of their environments or relationships, wanting others to conform to the strict rules they set.
We found that patients with OCD exhibited a deficit in mentalizing ability (cognitive empathy) compared to the control subjects.
Not only do OCD sufferers have to deal with being perceived as selfish and likely annoying, they themselves often feel guilty for “having” to manipulate people and situations in order to follow what their OCD is dictating.
Although narcissists act superior, entitled and boastful, underneath their larger-than-life facade lies their greatest fear: That they are ordinary. For narcissists, attention is like oxygen. Narcissists believe only special people get attention.
The false self and pathological narcissism
Pathological narcissism is a traumatic stress response that manifests as ego distortion. It is the invention of a fake persona as a coping mechanism for abysmally low self-esteem. The child's deformed ego may present as collapsed or inflated.
The false self replaces the narcissist's true self and is intended to shield him from hurt and narcissistic injury by self-imputing omnipotence. The narcissist pretends that his false self is real and demands that others affirm this confabulation, meanwhile keeping his real imperfect true self under wraps.
Not every narcissist has narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), as narcissism is a spectrum. People who are at the highest end of the spectrum are those that are classified as NPD, but others, still with narcissistic traits, may fall on the lower end of the narcissistic spectrum.
Primarily obsessional OCD has been called "one of the most distressing and challenging forms of OCD."
There are a variety of conditions that have obsessive compulsive disorder qualities that are quite similar to OCD such as PANDAS, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), hoarding disorder, trichotillomania, compulsive skin picking, hypochondria, and olfactory reference syndrome.
Narcissism refers to a trait of being entirely self-obsessed, having very fixed opinions, and a grandiose, unrealistic idea of one's capabilities. The term comes from Narcissus, a character from Greek mythology.
Specific Personality Traits That Are Prevalent in OCD
Perfectionism: A need to have situations and objects exactly right. Indecisiveness: An inability to make decisions or needing a lot of time to decide. Impulsivity: An inclination to do what feels good at the moment without thinking about future consequences.
Although both OCD and ASD have similar symptoms, they are different conditions. OCD is a mental health disorder, whereas ASD is a developmental condition. ASD is a condition that a person is born with. OCD can develop during a person's lifetime.
Doubting and having difficulty tolerating uncertainty. Needing things orderly and symmetrical. Aggressive or horrific thoughts about losing control and harming yourself or others. Unwanted thoughts, including aggression, or sexual or religious subjects.
Individuals with OCD are empaths—highly tuned in to the feelings of others—and this allows them to connect deeply, sometimes almost telepathically with others. Is it any surprise that they worry about the magic of their thoughts harming people or of others being able to read their minds, too?
If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you know that your symptoms can often get in the way of establishing and maintaining romantic relationships. Indeed, many individuals with OCD are single, and those who are in a relationship often report a significant amount of relationship stress.
This means that someone experiencing this mental health condition might display patterns of alternating clingy behavior and a tendency to push their partner away. They might fluctuate between praising their partnership and considering their relationship doomed to fail or riddled with problems.
Retroactive jealousy OCD is a condition characterized by obsessive and intrusive thoughts about a partner's past romantic or sexual experiences. These thoughts can lead to intense feelings of jealousy, insecurity, and anxiety, even if the events in question occurred long before the current relationship began.
If you or a loved one has OCD, these symptoms likely include bouts of anger or rage. You're not alone in this: One small study found that 50% of patients with OCD experience anger attacks.