News channels these days, instead of conveying accurate information, focus on adopting means to get more viewers and raise their TRPs. In order to do so, they publish or telecast an overwhelmingly larger proportion of negative news items. As studies in the USA and Australia have shown, about 90% of the news is negative, a huge proportion of them being sensationalist reports. Around 74% of the news stories about Australian indigenous health were negative, while a mere 15% of the stories were classified as positive and 11% as neutral. (Stoneham et al, 2014).

Ever wondered why this is so? Studies have proven that humans show what is known as the negativity bias or negativity effect in information processing. This means that negative events or information are more likely to draw our attention. In a study by Kätsyri J. (2016), gaze tracking, recognition memory, cardiac responses, and self-reports were used to track the attention of 38 participants in a controlled environment. It was found that negative tweets gained more attention and were viewed for longer durations. One of the best instances of this bias was seen when the ‘City Reporter’, a Russian website, lost two-thirds of its readership when it decided to publish only positive news stories for a day!

Framing Effect

News channels and publishers tend to, in fact, not just “report” the news, but make sure they spice it up appropriately to garner and sustain people’s attention. How a particular situation is narrated, that is positive or negative framing, also has an effect on a person’s response (Tversky and Kahneman, 1981). Negative words such as “never”, “die”, “worst”, which have proved to be more eye-catching, is used more by the media, particularly in headlines. There is also an association between gender and valence of the information: women have shown better memory and higher stress reactivity in response to negative news as compared to men (Marin et al, 2012).

Picture Superiority Effect

The media tries its best to evoke emotional reactions through its reports, and to maximize the effect, often uses disturbing and strong images. Everything – from images of dead bodies lying in a pool of blood to detailed descriptions of murder or terrorist attack – is reported sensationally, in an exaggerated manner. Be it Sushant Singh Rajput’s pre-autopsy dead body or gallows in Tihar jail, one can see all such images floating on news channels and social media within minutes of the occurrence of an incident. The reason behind excessive usage of such images is the phenomenon termed as the ‘picture superiority effect’, which means humans tend to remember and recall pictures much better than words. Such images, therefore, are bound to elicit strong negative emotions and hence be remembered by people.

The negativity bias and the framing and picture superiority effects, all combine to cause a range of physiological and psychological effects on people’s minds.

Physiological Effects of Negative News Reporting

Excessive exposure to negative information or news can cause the brain to perceive it as a threat, and as a result, might activate the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system. Stress hormones – adrenaline and cortisol – are released in response, which might result in physiological effects of stress such as fatigue and sleeplessness.

Psychological Effects of Negative News Reporting

As compared to positively-valenced or neutral news items, negatively-valenced news also causes heightened anxiety and a bad mood (Johnston & Davey, 1997). As a result, people tend to worry excessively about themselves and their near and dear ones. This, in fact, leads to more problems: people are tempted to check the news repeatedly, which heightens the anxiety and stress, thus forming a never-ending cycle.

Stress is the root cause of a variety of psychological disorders. A positive correlation was found between the number of hours an individual watched negative news and the amount of distress and the possibility of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Riehm et al, 2020). Moreover, for people who have personally experienced or been victims of any of the events being reported, the negative images and words used tend to elicit flashbacks of their own past experiences, thus making their healing process all the more difficult. This is because of the self-reference effect, or the tendency of humans to remember and recall those events better which are personally relevant or related to themselves in some way. When exposed to arousing bulletins, people hence tend to relate the negative information to their personal contexts (Johnston & Davey, 1997).

Negative Reporting and COVID-19 Pandemic

In the current times, when the world is battling a pandemic and everyone is confined within their homes, with nothing more than a tv screen or a laptop to entertain themselves with, many people are facing one or the other form of social isolation. The effect of the same can be seen in the huge rise in the number of people who reported mental health issues or sought professional help. A 20% increase in mental illnesses has been observed since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in India (Indian Psychiatric Society, 2020). Many people experience heightened levels of stress and anxiety as a result of watching or reading covid-related news. The figure below shows the sentiments evoked by various news headlines related to the pandemic, a vast majority (51.66%) of which evoked negative sentiments, while only 30.46% generated positive sentiments, and 17.87% were neutral (Aslam et al, 2020). The histogram depicting the sentiments, too, is weighted on the negative side.

With covid cases and related deaths reaching a new spike every day, news reporters, in a bid to reveal the mismanagement and failure of the government in handling the crisis, try to portray the situation as negatively as possible. Images and videos of hospitals running out of oxygen, people running around looking for hospital beds and plasma donations, crematoriums overflowing due to the rising number of covid-related deaths, and relatives weeping inconsolably, are traumatizing not just for those currently suffering from the disease, but also the ones who have won the battle against the virus. They fear being re-infected and do not feel safe even inside their homes. In fact, even those who have fortunately not contracted the infection are constantly worried and feel tempted to keep checking the news repeatedly. This may even lead to illness anxiety disorder and hypochondriasis amongst such people. Scarcity and unavailability of vaccines, masks, sanitizers, and protective equipment for frontline covid warriors is a huge cause of concern, leading to fear and anxiety amongst all people alike.

These images and reports haunt people round the clock, leading to nightmares, insomnia, and hypersomnia. Quite often, people wake up screaming, breathing heavily, or sweating excessively, and may even develop long-term sleep problems. About 15% of adult Indians reported some form of insomnia due to apprehensions and concerns related to the pandemic (Lahiri et al, 2021). As shown in the figure below, various factors such as higher age, isolation, generalized anxiety, and known co-morbid conditions were found to be correlated with increased levels of insomnia (Lahiri et al, 2021).

Studies have shown that this could also have long-term effects, leading to a decrease in the overall social interaction, with people being apprehensive about physical meetings even after the pandemic is over. Moreover, people could, in general, become more pessimistic about situations in life and their ability to handle them successfully. They might begin to view events more as a ‘threat’ than a ‘challenge’ since they would begin to feel that they are solely victims of the situation and have no control over it. Their sense of satisfaction with life might also decrease, along with a range of other effects.

Other Common Examples

This is just one of the countless examples we see every other day. Excessive coverage of celebrity suicides and deaths is another common example, the most recent one being the Sushant Singh Rajputs case, which was sensationalized and reported twenty-four-seven for several months following the claimed suicide. What the media did not realize was the effect this could have on young and vulnerable minds who considered this man as their role model. Consequently, a number of suicides of young adults were reported in several parts of the country within a few days following the SSR case. The excessive coverage of the incident hence triggered a series of suicides of ordinary people and celebrities alike, who were later found to be suffering from depression or other mental health issues and began to feel that suicide was a viable solution to their struggles.

Another common media practice is the focus on negative and corrupt political activities and rare reporting of any positive events and practices in the political arena. This has a negative effect on people’s overall belief in the democratic system, and even affects their sense of control over the chosen leaders. The effect is visible in the voter turnout which has recorded a reduction over the years in countries like the USA.

The list of such examples seems endless. The media needs to realize the effects and consequences of the evident bias in their choice and manner of reporting. There is a need to maintain a balance between positive and negative news items. News channels and publications should provide unbiased and unexaggerated information to the people with an aim to make them more aware and informed, rather than trying to increase their own readership and viewership. Only then can we hope to reduce and not aggravate the mental health issues that every fourth person may be suffering from (WHO, 2001).

References

Johnston, W. M., & Davey, G. C. (1997). The psychological impact of negative TV news bulletins: The catastrophizing of personal worries. British Journal of Psychology, 88(1), 85-91.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1997.tb02622.x

Garz, M. (2014). Good news and bad news: evidence of media bias in unemployment reports. Public Choice, 161(3-4), 499-515. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-014-0182-2

Grabe, M. E., & Kamhawi, R. (2006). Hard Wired for Negative News? Gender Differences in Processing Broadcast News. Communication Research, 33(5), 346–369. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650206291479

Tversky A., Kahneman D. (1989) Rational Choice and the Framing of Decisions. In: Karpak B., Zionts S. (eds) Multiple Criteria Decision Making and Risk Analysis Using Microcomputers. NATO ASI Series (Series F: Computer and Systems Sciences), vol 56. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74919-3_4

 Kätsyri J, Kinnunen T, Kusumoto K, Oittinen P, Ravaja N (2016) Negativity Bias in Media Multitasking: The Effects of Negative Social Media Messages on Attention to Television News Broadcasts. PLoS ONE 11(5): e0153712. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0153712

Schlenger WE, Caddell JM, Ebert L, Jordan BK, Rourke KM, et al. (2002) Psychological reactions to terrorist attacks: findings from the National Study of Americans’ Reactions to September 11. JAMA 288: 581–588.  doi: 10.1001/jama.288.5.581

Lahiri, A., Jha, S. S., Acharya, R., Dey, A., & Chakraborty, A. (2021). Correlates of insomnia among the adults during COVID19 pandemic: evidence from an online survey in India. Sleep medicine, 77, 66-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2020.11.020

Marin M-F, Morin-Major J-K, Schramek TE, Beaupré A, Perna A, Juster R-P, et al. (2012) There Is No News Like Bad News: Women Are More Remembering and Stress Reactive after Reading Real Negative News than Men. PLoS ONE 7(10): e47189. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0047189

Anant Kumar & K. Rajasekharan Nayar (2020): COVID 19 and its mental health consequences, Journal of Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2020.1757052

Stoneham, M., Goodman, J., & Daube, M. (2014). The portrayal of Indigenous health in selected Australian media. The International Indigenous Policy Journal, 5(1), 1-13. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/33658

Aslam, F., Awan, T.M., Syed, J.H. et al. (2020). Sentiments and emotions evoked by news headlines of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 7, 23. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-0523-3

Lindberg, S. (2020, May 18). Is watching the news bad for mental health? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/is-watching-the-news-bad-for-mental-health-4802320

The World Health Report 2001: Mental Disorders affect one in four people. (2001). WHO | World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news/item/28-09-2001-the-world-health-report-2001-mental-disorders-affect-one-in-four-people

Riehm, K. E., Holingue, C., Kalb, L. G., Bennett, D., Kapteyn, A., Jiang, Q., … & Thrul, J. (2020). Associations between media exposure and mental distress among US adults at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. American journal of preventive medicine, 59(5), 630-638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2020.06.008

The post NEGATIVITY BIAS IN MEDIA REPORTING: CAUSES AND EFFECTS appeared first on WISER WORLD.

In the 1980s, when the diagnosis of PTSD was added in DSM the media drew attention to the psychological aftereffects of combat experienced by Vietnam War veterans. It was the most publicized but not the only one. Reports of psychological dysfunction following exposure to combat emerged after the Civil War and received increased attention with conditions called shell shock, traumatic neurosis, combat stress and combat fatigue. Survivors also were reported to suffer long term psychological effects including the “survivor syndrome” of chronic depression, anxiety and difficulties in interpersonal relationships. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD is 6.8 per cent with a yearly prevalence of 3.5 per cent. The symptoms of PTSD and related disorder such as depression can persist for many years.  Women are more likely to develop it than men.

SYMPTOMS

There are four types of symptoms but they are different for everyone. The types are as follows:-

1. Avoidance Symptoms– It happens when an individual tries to avoid the situation or people that trigger the traumatic event. They do not discuss the event with anyone. It leads to a loss of interest in activities and getting emotionally detached. They also try to stay from places and objects that remind them of the event. Example, if you lost someone in a plane crash you might stop travelling by plane.
2. Re-experiencing symptoms are like flashbacks which make the person feel like they are going through the event again. It involves Nightmares, Frightening Thoughts, Fearful thoughts or intense mental or physical reactions.
3. Arousal and Reactivity symptoms– It includes problems such as irritability, difficulty in sleeping, frustration and anger outbursts, feeling tense or anxious. Individual also face jumpiness or they get startled by the thought of the event, difficulty in concentration and self- destructive behaviours such as rash driving.
4. Cognition and mood symptoms– It includes negative changes in feelings and beliefs. Other problems are memory loss, feeling hopeless for future and difficulty in maintaining interpersonal relationships. Constant feeling of guilt and blame. They feel like leaving alone.

The symptoms for children are different from adults. Children face problems such as-

1. Separation Anxiety can lead to Separation Anxiety Disorder
2. Loss of skills such as toilet training
3. Sleep problems
4. Phobias and anxieties
5. Narrating out trauma trough help of plays, stories or drawings
6. Pains with no actual cause
7. Aggression

Physical symptoms such as sweating, headache, dizziness, stomach ache, weak immune system are also faced by people.

CAUSE

A traumatic experience is an external event but researches propose that traumatic events may lead to changes in the brain that make it hypersensitive to possible danger in the future. Individuals with PTSD experience alterations in the hippocampus, the structure responsible for memory. As a result, a person is unable to distinguish between harmful situation from the ones in which real trauma occurred. Levels of hormones responsible for ‘flight or fight’ situation are different than a person not having PTSD. Other causes are as follows:-

1. Family History of depression and PTSD
2. Lack of coping skills
3. A lot of stress in daily life
4. Sexual Abuse
5. History of anxiety or other mental illness and substance abuse
6. Careers such as police or military that lead to traumatic events
7. Lack of support

DIGNOSIS

PTSD can increase chances for disorders such as depression, anxiety, eating disorder, substance abuse and suicide. Diagnosis should be done under medical professionals. To be diagnosed with PTSD a person should meet the criteria listed under DSM by the American Psychological Association. They should have at least one re-experiencing, avoidance symptom and two arousal and cognition and mood symptoms.

TREATMENT

The treatment include:

1. Medication- SSRI antidepressants are the only FDA approved medications for people with PTSD. The response rate of patients to this medication is rarely more than 60 percent and less than 20 to 30 percent achieve full remission of their symptoms. Researchers do not support the use of benzodiazepines in the treatment of PTSD. Antipsychotic medication risperidone might benefit individuals.
2. Psychological Perspective- People with PTSD have a high level of neuroticism, negativity etc. so their coping and personality styles are very important. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is considered one of the most effective therapy. It combines some type of exposure with relaxation and cognitive restructuring. Other alternative methods include interpersonal therapy, mantra repetition and acceptance and commitment therapy.

In Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) the clinicians ask the client to think about a traumatic event while focusing rapid movement of the clinician’s finger for 10 to 12 eye movements. Though being used to an increasing degree, EMDR lacks the effectiveness associated with some type of exposure therapy.

Positive Psychology proposes that people can grow through the experience of trauma. With this approach, trauma potentially allows clients to find the positive interpretation of their experiences.

CONCLUSION

Things happen in life which can change everything but we should not lead that happen. We should always move on in life because it is an important thing. Learning about your own symptoms is very important. There is always someone who can help you so seek help from people. Accepting and healing does not mean forge eying but it helps to build confidence that we come up with bad memories.

The post POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) appeared first on WISER WORLD.

This fiercely competitive world we live in constantly reinforces the need to be “perfect” – have an ideal body and a brilliant mind, get the best grades, be in a perfect relationship, have the perfect job, and even have a perfectly curated social media feed. This drive to be perfect in mind, body and career is catalysed by social media which not only glamorizes productivity but also reinforces the development of these unrealistic standards and gives us more reason to fear mistakes and not accept our flaws. 

Increasingly we are developing these irrational ideals and unrealistic expectations and internalising the contemporary myth that everything, including our own selves, should be perfect. 

However, what if this illusion of perfection was broken and we were told that our flaws and our occasional mistakes make us more likeable than individuals who often present themselves as flawless or perfect? 

THE DISCOVERY OF THE PRATFALL EFFECT

In 1966, Harvard University Psychologist, Elliot Aronson, along with his colleagues, Joanne Floyd and Ben Willerman performed an experiment which demonstrated that “the attractiveness of a superior person is enhanced if he commits a clumsy blunder.” For the experiment, the researchers recorded an actor answering a few trivia quiz questions. The participants were 48 male undergraduate students divided in four groups. Each group was instructed to listen to one of the four scenarios:

• A superior person answering 92 % of the questions correctly

• An average person answering 30% of the questions correctly

• A superior person answering 92% of the questions correctly and spilling coffee over himself (committing a small blunder or pratfall)

• An average person answering 30% of the questions correctly and spilling coffee over himself (committing a small blunder or pratfall)

The concept of “superior” and “average” was reinforced by having these contestants (actors) reveal personal information about themselves. 

After the tape was played to the sample of students, they were asked about their impressions of the contestant they had heard. The results were in line with Aronson’s hypothesis – the students found the superior committing a blunder to be more likeable. In the words of Aronson, “the pratfall made the contestant more appealing as it increases his approachability and makes him seem less austere, more human.” However, it was also inferred from the experiment that the likeability of the average person decreased upon committing the same blunder or pratfall. 

Other factors which have an influence on Pratfall Effect are the level of self-esteem of the observer, their gender and the seriousness of the mistake committed.

THE PRATFALL EFFECT

“Pratfall” is an informal English term which means “an embarrassing mistake or failure”. From the above-mentioned experiment, it can be understood that Pratfall Effect refers to the tendency for attractiveness to increase after an individual makes a small blunder or mistake when the individual was already seen as competent or attractive. In a nutshell, Pratfall Effect simply means that a person’s likability will increase if they are not seen as flawless or perfect in a domain but they are perceived as attractive in some way and/or are seen as being competent in that domain. 

An image of perfection might be intimidating to others and usually, it is not suitable for developing healthy interpersonal bonds. It increases insecurities about personal flaws and imperfections. However, no human is perfect and flaws, mistakes and imperfections make us all human. Thus a blunder or pratfall makes individuals more relatable, approachable and therefore more likeable. 

PRATFALL EFFECT IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Several examples of the Pratfall Effect can be cited from our daily lives. Starting from our interpersonal relations to the advertisements which appeal to us, from our chances of getting a job offer to the kind of movies we enjoy, the Pratfall Effect has a role to play in all these spheres. 

One embarrassing event and we feel it is the end of our romantic story. However, Pratfall Effect states that it, in fact, might be just the beginning of our story! The occasional embarrassing mistakes committed by us and our humble imperfections increase our humanness and we tend to be perceived as attractive and endearing.

Psychologist Joanne Silvester conducted an experiment and discovered those interview candidates who admitted past mistakes at job interviews were more appealing. This perhaps could be the reason why Raju Rastogi from the movie Three Idiots was offered the job interview despite him mentioning his past failures. 

The Pratfall Effect or occasionally referred to as the “Blemishing Effect” has been heavily used in the marketing and advertising industry. In a book titled The Science of Story Selling, author Gideon F. For-mukwai states reasons why this effect matters in advertising and marketing a brand. The humanising effect of the flaw makes the brand more relatable to the consumers and it reflects humility, sincerity and the grounded nature of the brand and the entrepreneur. 

Leading consumer psychologist, Adam Ferrier, conducted research through ZenithOptimedia in which he asked a large number of the sample which of the two cookies, pictured below, they preferred. The only difference between the cookies is in the shape: on has a perfect round shape with smooth edges, while the other has a rough edge.

 Interestingly, it was observed that 68% of the sample preferred the cookie with the rough edge. 

Striving for perfection is not bad, but expecting ourselves to be perfect at all times and in all spheres is not right. Humans are beautifully flawed beings. We are not meant to be perfect. We are not even close to being perfect, but whatever we are, that is enough. We don’t need to be perfect to inspire others. We should allow ourselves to make mistakes and let people get inspiration from how we tackle those mistakes. After all, the Pratfall Effect only implies that “it is more than okay to make mistakes once in a while”.

The post PERFECT IMPERFECTIONS: THE PRATFALL EFFECT appeared first on WISER WORLD.

Symptoms

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) lists down a few symptoms of GAD on their official website. These include excessive worrying, nervousness, difficulty in concentration, troubled sleep schedules, etc. People with anxiety tend to overthink situations more than the average person and worry about future scenarios that may seem implausible to other people. They may sometimes experience anxiety attacks which aren’t the same as panic attacks, although the terms are used interchangeably. Anxiety attacks are usually caused by a particular event and have a cause and origin. During anxiety attacks, people with anxiety may be extra sensitive to stimuli such as repetitive sounds, actions, etc. Trouble going to sleep or staying asleep is another symptom of anxiety if the person is being kept awake by their thoughts. They find it tough to relax or fully immerse themselves in any activity. But anxiety isn’t simply a feeling, anxiety triggers the body’s fight or flight response which results in the manifestation of physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, muscle pain or tightening of muscles, teeth grinding, sweating, nauseousness, etc. This causes people to sometimes confuse it for a physical ailment and not consider a mental aspect to it.

Social Anxiety

Social Anxiety Disorder is a medically diagnosable condition that is one step further than introversion and shyness. It is extremely common and causes people to have trouble going on dates, talking to new people, public speaking, attending parties, etc. These issues originate from a fear of being publicly humiliated or snubbed or being judged for any of their actions. Social anxiety can be dealt with by self-soothing methods but it causes a person to be crippled when it comes to socialising. Thus naturally, people with social anxiety tend to avoid large gatherings or even any places where they might meet new people. They choose to stay home and decline invitations as soon as they come in. This behaviour may sound familiar as is stereotypically assumed for introverts. So it is not a surprise that introversion and social anxiety are used interchangeably, but that isn’t correct.

Introverts are basically people who are more concerned with their inner world than the outside world. Unlike extroverts, who get energized and feel connected to people while socialising, it is only a tedious task to introverts, who would if given the choice, choose to stay at home alone. But contrary to popular belief, being an introvert does not equate shyness or a lack of social skills. Introverts could be master people pleasers and could charm their way around a room whole wishing they were at home watching a movie instead. So while some introverts may have social anxiety and some people with social anxiety may be introverted, these two qualities do not necessarily go hand in hand.

Extroverts and Social Anxiety

On a completely opposite note, extroverts are seen as loud, funny and dynamic personalities who cannot possibly know how to stay quiet. So the idea of an extrovert having social anxiety seems entirely impossible. And even if it does seem possible, it is assumed that it would be very easy to observe.  But as definitely as they exist, it is also extra tough for them to handle both extraversion and social anxiety at the same time. While some of them may simply choose to stay home and avoid putting themselves in positions where they would have to socialize, others try to force themselves to get out there and end up making themselves miserable. The ones who stay at home, end up convincing themselves and people around them that they’re an introvert when in reality they have much more fun going outside and hanging out with people. The ones who do force themselves to go outside, live in constant fear where they question every single step they take or every sentence they speak. They might replay conversations and try to figure out if they did something wrong and overthink themselves into a frenzy of worry and nervousness over future interactions.

Thus, extroverts with social anxiety find themselves in a unique conundrum. While they need social interactions to thrive, those very interactions also cause them immense amounts of worry.

Tips to Work Through Social Anxiety

Be mindful. Anxiety makes you worry about the future or the past so it is important to keep reminding yourself that the present is all that matters.

Give yourself time. Allow yourself space to get comfortable with the idea of a situation before putting yourself in it. For example, do not immediately force yourself to go for tryouts in a huge club without some time to wrap your mind around the idea.

Start small. Take small steps towards what you want to achieve while constantly showing your inner critic that you’re doing well. For example, instead of going to a huge party full of strangers, go to a small lunch with friends and maybe 1 or 2 mutual friends that you have never talked to.

Remember that you’re not alone and chances are there may be a lot more people around you who are dealing with social anxiety that isn’t obvious to you.

The post GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER appeared first on WISER WORLD.

Separation Anxiety Disorder is experienced by children when they have intense anxiety concerning separation from their home or caregivers. It is natural for a young child to feel anxious when they are separated from their parents. It usually starts from a child’s first birthday and can last up to their fourth birthday. Parents can ease their child’s anxiety by being patient and by setting some limits. However, some kid’s anxiety does not go away and it becomes a sign of a larger problem that is separation anxiety disorder. It is not a normal stage of development. Children with this disorder avoid situations in which they will be parted from their caregivers. Even the thought of separation causes extreme anxiety. Situations like when their caregivers are going to work or before going to sleep at night they become anxious. They ask one of their parents to stay with them and leave them after they sleep because they get nightmares regarding separation. Adults avoid going out and staying with others for example going to a friend’s house for a night out.

When they are separated from their caregivers they develop intense fear. They think something terrible will happen to their caregivers or themselves. The fear gets intense that they feel they will get kidnapped.  To avoid this situation they complain about physical symptoms such as stomach ache, fever etc. They become panicky, miserable, homesick, socially withdrawn and sad. They also demand constant attention and sometimes become so clingy that they will not allow one of their caregiver to go out of sight. People with separation anxiety disorder are also at greater risk of subsequently developing other anxiety disorder such as panic disorder.

SYMPTOMS

The symptoms of separation anxiety disorder include:

1. Fear and worry that something will happen to their caregivers
2. Children refuse to go to school
3. Insomnia
4. Complains about headache and stomachache
5. Clinging to the caregiver
6. Nightmares about separation
7. Fear of being alone
8. Bedwetting
9. Temper tantrums

Children and adolescents should show at least three symptoms from the above mentioned symptoms. The symptoms should last for at least four weeks and cause significant distress.

CAUSES

It occurs because of the fear a child has in some ways. If we can know the actual cause we will be one step closer to help the child through their struggles. A strong genetic component was used as evidenced by analyses based on twin data. Important environmental factors such as low-income environment, new house or school can trigger symptoms. They can also develop it because of natural or manmade disasters such as losing a loved one in an attack or tsunami etc. An overprotective parent or insecure attachment can also be a problem because they manifest their own anxiety about separation on the kid. 

DIAGNOSIS

Separation Anxiety Disorder is diagnosed on the basis of the signs and symptoms shown by the person. It varies from age to age. Children in the range of 5 to 8 show more symptoms than the 9 to 12 age group. Young children report more nightmares. Adolescents are more likely to report physical symptoms. Parents and child symptoms differ from each other. Clinicians are more likely to diagnose children with the disorder when parents report their symptoms. There are no laboratory tests for this disorder but the clinicians can ask for a blood test. If no physical illness is found, the child is sent to a psychologist to diagnose and treat them.

TREATMENT

The majority of children diagnosed with the disorder are completely free of symptoms within 18 months. However, people those who need help get the proper treatment from the clinicians. Behavioural techniques such as Systematic Desensitization, Exposure Therapy and Modeling is used for treating fear and anxieties. Contingency management and self management are also useful in teaching child to react positively to their fear-provoking situations. The therapies can be given individually or in combination. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy seems to be the most promising. It helps to reshape the child’s thinking and behaviour. Other therapies include Talk Therapy and Family Counseling to help the child to fight from their fears of separation.  There are no specific medications but in severe cases, antidepressant or anti-anxiety pills can be given to the person. Parents can also help their children at home by making proper plans for them and replacing their anxiety provoking thoughts into positive thoughts and also by setting some limits. They should also allow the child to stay or go to some place alone and should give up on their insecurities regarding their children.

CONCLUSION

Most children with the disorder get better and healthy with time. They need family support and love and when this thing combines with the treatment the chances of recovery improves. There is no way of preventing it but acting and recognizing it at the right time is important. They should live at a better place and should adapt with the changes and should give away their fears and accept the challenges with a positive attitude.

The post SEPERATION ANXIETY DISORDER appeared first on WISER WORLD.

“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.” ~Arthur Conan Doyle

JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

The innocent eyes of a child do not reflect hatred, aggression or violence all of a sudden and a child does not become a juvenile delinquent overnight. Several biological, cultural, economic, social, political and psychological factors interplay and cause juvenile delinquency. 

“We are what we see. We are products of our surroundings.” ~ Amber Valletta

Multiple theories have been developed and several researches have been conducted to explain the causes of juvenile delinquency. Generally, the theories are grouped as biological or physiological, psychological and sociological. While genetic composition, personality dynamics and neuropsychological processing play a major causal role in juvenile delinquency, the contribution of the social environment of the child and other sociological factors cannot be ignored or neglected. Growing up in a non-supportive environment and a world full of crime, bullying, violent video games and TV shows, prejudices and hate crimes and domestic violence – all negatively impact the mindset and attitude of children.

UNDERSTANDING THE MAJOR SOCIOLOGICAL CAUSES

FAMILY

Family is one of the most basic and fundamental units of society. Family environments, relationships among family members, parental control and value education imparted within homes play a decisive role in shaping a child’s attitude, behaviour and personality. The commonly identified factors pertaining to unfavourable family environment are – 

“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.”  ~ Michael J. Fox

1. Lack of parental care, control and/or affection
2. Quarrels and conflicts among partners
3. Excessive strict discipline at home or the complete lack of it. 
4. Highly ambitious or critical parents 
5. Abusive parents or caregivers
6. Depravity of parents or parent’s continued long absence from home
7. Consumption of alcohol or drugs by parents or other family members
8. Disorganised family or broken homes – separation, divorce or death of any one of the parents. 
9. Presence of a parent with a psychological disorder
10. Unemployment or low income leading to poverty due to which the basic needs of the child is not satisfied. 

Lees and Newson (1954) interestingly found that child’s birth order in the family and sibling position could be an attributing factor in delinquency. Their study revealed that middle children are more prone to engaging in criminal activities because they are likely to get less care and attention from their parents in comparison to their older or younger siblings.  

Thus, all of the above mentioned factors may directly or indirectly lead a child to fall in bad company and consequently indulge in offensive activities. 

SCHOOLS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS 

In addition to family, schools, religious institutions and community play an important part in the process of socialisation of a child. School is where children spend a maximum of their time and have closest contacts and interactions with most children. Schools impart academic knowledge and provide moral and value education to children. The modern school systems put a strong emphasis on a good performance and thus create an environment of competition. However, children who are intellectually, economically, emotionally or socially deprived may face difficulty in meeting their expectations and are likely to resort to unfair means or delinquent acts. 

PEERS

Family and parents have the responsibility of teaching socially acceptable values to children. When these values are not imparted, a child’s bond with parents and school is broken, causing deterioration in their academic performance. As a consequence, children may start associating with deviant peer groups in which they feel accepted. These peer groups then pressurise or encourage children or adolescents to begin or continue engaging in deviant actions. Peer groups or “gangs” usually play the role of conveying techniques of delinquency, providing training in delinquency, safeguarding the members of the gang engaged in deviant acts and maintaining a continuity of delinquent actions. 

MEDIA AND CINEMA

In today’s technology-driven world, there is no limit to the material that can be accessed with the click of a button. From a very young age, children are exposed to cartoons, TV series, movies and video games. While watching action-packed blockbusters casting our favourite actors or superheroes can be a thrilling and exciting experience for us, several researchers have found that television, comic books, movies, radio and video games portraying violence and sexual acts or highlighting crimes are significant factors contributing to juvenile delinquency. Children are easily attracted by these kinds of contents and often times they want to imitate in their real-life what they watched on screen. Thus, media influence and the subsequent information explosion may be one of the growing causes of delinquency in children and adolescents.

Besides these, there are several other social factors like poor living conditions in neighbourhood and the frequency in which crimes happen, poor recreation facilities, love adventures, the bad company of friends, excessive rigidity in society and poor socio-economic conditions of the society.

HOW CAN ONE PREVENT JUVENILE DELINQUENCY? 

Understanding juvenile delinquency and tackling it is complex. To prevent deviant behaviours from appearing or developing, parents, teachers, caregivers and other authority figures must use effective discipline, monitoring and different problem-solving techniques (Crosswhite and Kerpelman 2008).  The first step of preventing deviance is recognising deviant behaviours and keeping track of when they occur. Punishments given for maintaining effective discipline must neither be overly harsh nor extremely negligible because that might have a counter effect on the child and chances of deviancy may therefore increase. Monitoring means having an awareness of the child’s whereabouts, who their peers are and what they do in their leisure time. Problem-solving skills are essential in a child’s development of communication. A lack of problem-solving skills and communication can cause children to shrug off responsibilities, behave in a defensive manner and make them more aggressive. Parents should therefore consciously practice positive parenting by constantly supporting and reinforcing their child’s pro-social behaviours and strengthening the parent-child bond.

Research shows that children and adolescents with positive attitudes and feelings toward their school are less likely to be deviant. Thus, schools should encourage the development of a healthy and positive environment in which the students feel valued, loved and accepted.

Children are like clay in potter’s hands. They quickly learn and absorb everything around them. Every child deserves to be loved, taken care of and moulded in the best way possible because, “children need love, especially when they do not deserve it.” ~ Harold S Hulbert. 

The post JUVENILE DELINQUENCY – INNOCENCE LOST appeared first on WISER WORLD.

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder in which a person is unable to maintain normal weight and have an intense fear of gaining weight and have distorted body image. Three basic symptoms shown by the person involves restricted eating, unrealistic fear of getting fat and disturbed self-perception of body shape. The person has abnormally low body weight. They feel that they are overweight even though they are seriously underweight. The depletion of nutrients that occur because of anorexia leads to a lot of health changes some of them can be life-threatening. Starting from the brain, they cannot think right, there are changes in their brain chemistry and they have bad and fainting memory. Their hair gets thin and brittle. Have low blood pressure and slow heart rate and can also face heart failure. They also face anaemia and other blood problems like low potassium, magnesium and sodium in the blood. Weak and swollen joints and more prone to fractures. May face kidney stones and kidney failure. Constipation and bloating, menstruation stop, bone loss and women face problems in getting pregnant and there are higher risks of miscarriage. Skin gets bruises easily and gets dry. Hair all over the body, skin gets pale and nails get brittle.

There are two types of anorexia, the “restricting” type involves that they get engage in restricting calories. The other is “Purging” type in which they lose weight by vomiting. People who have anorexia experience a core disturbance in their body image. In one study it was shown that women suffering from anorexia showed distinct arousal patterns in area of the brain involve in processing emotions. Women with the restricted form appears not to value thinness so much as they are repelled by the idea of being overweight. The lifetime prevalence in women is 0.9 percent and 0.3 in men. The majority of individuals who develop it are in their early 20’s. Men have 25 per cent lower lifetime prevalence than women.

Many people get confused between Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa which is another type of eating disorder. In Bulimia, a person engages in binge eating during which they eat an excessive amount of food during a short period. In order to avoid weight gaining, they involve in purging which causes different physical and psychological issues.

CAUSES

The exact cause of anorexia is unknown. The conditions may run in families. From a biological point of view, the researchers are interested in the role of dopamine which plays a role in the feeling of pleasure including those which are related to eating. The abnormal processing of emotions in people may be related to other genes that are related to depressive mood. There are environmental or social factors such as constantly comparing their bodies to others and never getting satisfied with one own self and hormonal changes. The messages from social media and the fashion industry that thin is beautiful. Other factors are physical or sexual abuse or being bullied.

SYMPTOMS

There are two types of symptoms Physical and Psychological.

The Psychological Symptoms are as follows:

1. Refusing to eat
2. Not eating in front of others
3. Feeling sad and anxious
4. Low self-esteem
5. Lying about eating
6. Fixation on body image
7. Denying that they are underweight
8. Using diet pills and purging
9. Lack of emotions
10. Reduce sex drive
11. Memory loss
12. Changes in sleeping patterns
13. Trouble in relationships

The Physical Symptoms are as follows:

1. Dizziness
2. Loss and thinning of hair
3. Constipation
4. Dehydration
5. Pale and dry skin
6. Feeling cold all the time
7. Tremendous weight loss
8. Loss of periods in women
9. Loss of muscle mass
10. Low blood pressure and heart rate
11. Swollen hands and legs
12. Brittle nails
13. Bad breath and tooth decay
14. Over-exercising

DIAGNOSIS

Early diagnosis and proper treatment help the person to fight this disorder. They should show the following symptoms for the treatment of Anorexia Nervosa. The physicians detect signs of anorexia they should also test for diabetes, chronic infections, malabsorption, cancer etc. and blood test and image scans. People with anorexia also have mood disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder and social phobia.

According to the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA’s) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition (DSM-5), the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa are as follows:

1. Restriction of energy intake relative to requirements leading to a significantly low body weight in the context of age, sex, developmental trajectory, and physical health.
2. Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight.
3. Disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight.

TREATMENT

The primary aim of treatment involves identifying and changing the individual’s maladaptive assumptions that occur regarding their body shape and weight.

In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, clinicians attempt to change what are selective biases people regarding eating disorder that lead them to focus on the parts of bodies they dislike. By using Exposure Therapy in which clients view their bodies in the mirror in an attempt to reduce negative emotions that they experience. They teach them mindfulness techniques to reduce negative cognitions and affect their bodies by giving them psychoeducation about the ways that their beliefs reinforce their negative body image. In the sociocultural perspective, clinicians use family components for clients. Parents take the whole charge of their eating and weight. It can also involve family therapy and nutrition counselling to help the client to regain healthy eating habits.

There is no specific medication for this disorder. They can be given medication to control anxiety, depression and OCD. SSRIs such serotonin and olanzapine can be given when their weight is 95 percent of normal of their height and age. Hospitalization may also be needed if there is severe weight loss and the client refuses to eat.

CONCLUSION

May researchers believed that it not a disorder which cannot be treated.  The person can live a normal and healthy life by not being judgmental of other people and being kind and respectful. They should meet people who can help them and should take treatment from professionals. They should have high self-esteem and should believe that they are getting better day by day.

The post ANOREXIA NERVOSA appeared first on WISER WORLD.

Revelations

This conversation that sparked due to the movie, however, revealed a very lengthy and detailed history of serial killer fandoms existing long before movies were made about them. Even before being portrayed by Zac Efron; Ted Bundy, who has a reputation for killing young women by lulling them into a sense of security by his slightly above average good looks and charm had already become somewhat of a heartthrob in a whole different world. In the serial killer fandoms, famous murders like Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez and the Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold are the equivalent of the likes of Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and even Zac Efron. Records show that killers like Richard Ramirez and Ted Bundy used to have courtrooms full of fangirls & girlfriends cheering them on during their trials and sending them love letter in prison. Bundy, who represented himself, would hear cheers every time he stepped up to speak. There would be long lines to meet them in prison, so much so that some of them would have to be turned away.

Richard Ramirez court appearance in California Supreme Court, Los Angeles

One such killer, known to have murdered at least 14 people, and till date the most popular of all, Richard Ramirez, also known as the night stalker, had thousand of fans. His execution was delayed continuously due to hundred of appeals being filed for its stay. He eventually married one of his fans and was married for 12 years before he died. Ramirez was hyped for his good looks and tragic backstory where women tried to find excuses for his actions and painted him as someone who was forced by society and his environment to do what he did.

Hybristophilia

This phenomenon of being sexually attracted to serial killers and mass murderers is called hybristophilia by experts. It is not only limited to a fascination or daydreaming obsession with these dangerous men but is a very real sexual attraction that the person may act upon by contacting the said killer. Not much research has been done upon this phenomenon but it is more commonly observable in women and is usually directed towards white male murderers. This obsession may be due to the thrill of being with someone dangerous or due to a saviour complex where the person may be led to believe that they can help fix what they think is a damaged person. People, in particular women, start empathising with the killer due to their past and imagining that they are just misunderstood and need someone to love and care for them.

Teen Girls Obsessed with Serial Killers

An article by Joshua Surtees written for vice talks about the virtual fandoms that have become popular for murderers and serial killers, some of whom aren’t even alive. These include trending hashtags and imaginary scenarios. While in the past affection to them was shown by letters and prison visits, the age of social media has allowed fandoms to form and like-minded people to come together. Fandoms in forms of social media pages attract thousands of followers most of which are teenage girls and surprisingly a lot of these women identified themselves as feminists even though the victims of most of these killers were women. They seem to think it is easy to separate these two since they can’t control their sexual attraction to these people. In interviews taken of these girls, it was discovered that they find it thrilling to be with someone who is capable of killing. Their obsession is taken very lightly by their families and peers and isn’t usually seen as something to be worried about.

Underlying Issues

This obsession isn’t always harmless. On one hand, it is worrying how only white cis male killers receive large amounts of support. It points to people’s tendency to try to humanize white males and not just label them as killers and murders. They are excused for their actions much like they always have been throughout history. They are seen as troubled men instead of heartless demons. Their victims are forgotten and dehumanised, seen only as stories, while they themselves are glorified and given the attention and popularity that they were looking for in the first place.

On the other hand, a lot of times, this obsession is not about sexual attraction and is instead of idealisation. Gullible trouble teens easily fall prey to a fascination with the crimes committed by these criminals and are inspired to try it themselves. Such was a case of a 14-year-old girl obsessed with Ted Bundy who tried to murder her girlfriend and even created a list of people she wanted to kill. And the fact that it is seen as normal and accepted by families poses a question of worry, could the next Ted Bundy be a fangirl who got too carried away?

The post TED BUNDY: EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE appeared first on WISER WORLD.

Inside the cramped bank vault, a strange, positive, compassionate bond developed between the captors and the captives. On one occasion, when hostage Kristin Enmark began to shiver, Olsson draped a wool jacket over her shoulders and even soothed her when she had a bad dream. He also gave her a bullet as a keepsake. When 21-year old bank cashier, Elisabeth Oldgren, complained of feeling claustrophobic inside the confined bank vault, he tied her to a leash and according to the captive herself, he “was very kind enough” to allow her to walk outside the vault. When hostage Birgitta Lundblad couldn’t contact her family members over the phone, Olsson consoled her by telling her, “try again; don’t give up.” These acts of kindness inculcated feelings of sympathy in the hostages and in the words of Sven Safstrom, the lone male hostage, the captives saw him “as an emergency God.”

A more infamous incident than this “Bank Drama,” a term coined by a 1794 New York Times article, is that of Patty Hearst or Patricia Hearst, a famous media heiress who was seen helping her captors rob a bank after a few months of being kidnapped by revolutionary militants in 1974. 

As an explanation, ‘Stockholm Syndrome,’ a phrase coined by criminologist and psychiatrist Nils Bejerot, was born. 

CAUSES OF STOCKHOLM SYNDROME

Intrigued by this rare phenomenon, Psychiatrist Dr Frank Ochberg, went on to study and define the syndrome for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Scotland Yard in the 1970s. According to him, the criteria for Stockholm Syndrome included the following – 

1. A sudden experience of something terrifying and feeling certain that they are going to die.
2. Experiencing a type of ‘infantilisation’ – where they are unable to speak or eat or go to the washroom without permission. 

When the hostages receive small acts of kindness from their captors, they experience a “primitive gratitude for the gift of life,” and that inculcates a “powerful, primitive, positive feeling” towards the captor. 

In hostage negotiation, this syndrome is defined as “the psychological tendency of a hostage to bond with, identify with, or sympathise with his or her captor.” 

A forensic psychologist in Rochester, Minnesota, Steven Norton, explained that while Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological concept seen as a survival strategy or a coping mechanism, it is not a formal diagnosis. It is not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) or the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). According to Norton, the increased fear and trauma may induce sympathetic feelings and that can make the hostages emotionally dependent on the captors, but these symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome could overlap with the symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and learned helplessness. 

However, a 1999 FBI law enforcement bulletin states that victims with Stockholm syndrome will exhibit two key characteristics:

1. Positive feelings toward their captors and
2. Negative feelings of distrust and anger towards law enforcement officials. 

This might lead them into feeling that police actions might threaten their safety. 

In tune with these explanations, Dr. Dee L. R. Graham, a psychologist and professor at the University of Cincinnati, and her colleagues, described that this rare syndrome is more likely to occur in these following conditions – 

1. “Victims perceiving a threat to their survival at the hands of their captors.
2. Victims perceiving small acts of kindnesses coming from their captors, such as not getting hurt or receiving water and food.
3. Isolation of victims from perspectives other than those of their captors.
4. Inability of the victims to escape from their situation.”

The display of positive feelings can also be from the captors’ end. A classic evidence of this is Olsson’s remarks – “It was the hostages’ fault. They did everything I told them to do. Why didn’t any of them attack me? They made it hard to kill. They made us go on living together day after day, like goats, in that filth. There was nothing to do but get to know each other.” This even rarer phenomenon is known as “Lima Syndrome.” 

This notion that development of positive feelings is bidirectional in cases of captor- captive situation has encouraged hostage and crisis negotiators to develop similar supportive behavioural skills. 

Although Stockholm Syndrome is a rare phenomenon when it comes to hostage and captor incidents, the underlying principles of how it develops and works is witnessed in different, yet more common circumstances and situations. 

HELD HOSTAGE BY THE ONE YOU LOVE

Battered individuals failing to press charges against their violent abusers, victims denying the presence of violence in their relationships, or men, women or children willingly wanting to stay back with their abusers because of the love, strong emotional connect and deep sympathy, are all examples of symptoms associated with Stockholm Syndrome. Another example is corporate Stockholm Syndrome which takes place in organisations where a supervisor or boss has immense control over the employees and these employees believe that they will eventually benefit if they are compliant. 

This terror-bonding or trauma bonding typically happens in women and children. According to psychologist Jennifer Wild, a consultant clinical psychologist at the Oxford University, women who develop a sense of dependency on their partners, might feel less of anger and more of empathy towards their abusive partners, and they might choose to continue staying with their partners despite being victims of Intimate Partner Violence or Domestic Violence. 

Similarly, child abuse is another example. When care givers or parents physically and/or emotionally abuse their children, children may deny it or lie about it or choose not to speak up about it because of the protective feelings and the love they have towards their parents or caregivers. 

Whether Stockholm syndrome is a myth or it actually exists in reality is still an ongoing debate. However, for the individuals who experience symptoms similar to that of Stockholm Syndrome, it is very hard for them to accept the reality and come out of the abusive relationship. Offering full support and providing a safe space where they feel accepted and loved is something which friends and family members can do to help them. 

The post STOCKHOLM SYNDROME: THE STRANGE LOVE appeared first on WISER WORLD.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder is primarily characterized by an unrealistic, inflated sense of self-importance and a lack of sensitivity to the needs of other people. It comes under Cluster B personality disorder. The term comes from a character in Greek mythology called Narcissus. He saw his reflection in the water and fell in love with it.

It should not be confused with high self- confidence and self- esteem. High self-esteem people are humble while people with NPD are likely to be selfish; they boss over people and ignore other feelings and needs. They may have high self-esteem but they are insecure. They think of themselves as better than others. Some individuals have grandiose self which is referred by clinicians as Grandiose Narcissism. They rely on other people to confirm their worth. They are more sensitive to rejections, feel a sense of shame. They are shy and not empathic. When they feel that they have not lived up to their standards they withdraw themselves socially. They derive themselves from the way that they believe other people view them.  In their personal relationships, they cannot develop true closeness with their partners because they are so focused on themselves that they ignore other person feelings and needs.  They are unhappy with their life in general and take it n a negative way. They are unable to see the damaging effects their behavior is causing to themselves and others.

According to studies, NPD may occur in approximately 1 per cent of the population. The ratios are higher in the population of individuals seeking clinical treatments with those estimates ranging from 2 to as high as 36 percent.

CHARACTERISTICS

People with NPD have following traits-

1. A lot of attention from others
2. Feeling of Jealousy
3. They want to achieve high and want importance
4. Easily gets hurt when rejected
5. They always imagine about success and power
6. Lack of ability to understand others feelings and needs
7. Respond to criticism with anger, humiliation and shame
8. Always expect others will agree with them
9. Whatever they have or want is the best
10. Cannot maintain healthy and personal relationships

SYMPTOMS

The traditional Freudian psychoanalytic approach regards narcissism as the individual’s failure to progress beyond the early, highly self-focused stages of psychosexual development. In order for a person to be diagnosed with NPD must have at least five or more symptoms. The symptoms are as follows:

1. Should have a grandiose sense of self importance
2. Should be preoccupied with their fantasies of success, power, talent and beauty
3. Should believe they are special or unique
4. Require excessive admiration
5. Strong sense of entitlement
6. Take advantage of others to achieve their goals
7. Lack of empathy
8. Envious of others
9. Regularly showing arrogance attitude

CAUSES

The exact reason for this disorder is still unknown.  The clinicians believed that it may result from a combination of factors which include childhood traumas such as physical, sexual or verbal. Relationships with parents, friends and other family members also matter. The Genetic structure or family history can be a reason. Different Personality and temperament can also be a cause.

DIAGNOSIS

There are no specific lab tests for this disorder. As it is a personality disorder and can overlap with other personality disorders. To solve this problem Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM is used. The symptoms should match with personal behaviour and attitudes. Researchers agree that both genetics ad environmental factors play their role. Individuals with this disorder have less volume of grey matter in their left anterior insula of the brain which is responsible for emotional regulation, empathy and cognitive functioning. 

TREATMENT

Many people suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder rarely seek treatment. But it is important to seek treatment from clinicians. There are different ways by which a person can be treated, those are as follows:

1. Clinicians who work within a psychodynamic perspective try to provide a corrective developmental experience. They use empathy to support the person. They guide them toward a more realistic appreciation that no one is flawless. As the client feels that their therapist supports them, they become less grandiose and self-centred.
2. Cognitive- Behavioral theorists focus on maladaptive ideas of the client. They try them to convince them to act less selfishly and show them a better way to reach their goals. The therapist avoids the client’s demands for special favours and attention. They also make them learn to put limits in life.
3. No medication has been approved for this disorder. They may be prescribed with mood stabilizers or antidepressants. Medication may be given to treat co-occurring conditions such as mood disorders and anxiety disorders.
4. Self-help strategies include setting boundaries to expectations. A person should practice self-care. They should take help from the therapist. They should start showing support to others feelings and needs and should see their life as positive rather than having a negative attitude for others and themselves.

CONCLUSION

It can be challenging to treat a narcissistic person but by taking help from a therapist can prove very helpful because changes in behaviour can happen any time.  The person should feel free to praise others when they do something right. Show empathy to others and acknowledge them.  A great partnership between both the person suffering from the disorder and the people in the environment will help the person to treat quickly and in a much better way.

The post NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER appeared first on WISER WORLD.