Egotistic: A Phenomenological Study on the Experiences of Mental Health Workers on Narcissistic Personality Disorder in the Philippines

Abstract

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a pathological occurrence among various cultures. The Diagnostic Statistical Manual-5 (DSM-5) defines it as a pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy. Studies on the disorder are mostly Western, frequently based on the DSM-5, but in order to understand individuals diagnosed with NPD in the Philippines, this study focused on the experiences of mental health workers in the Philippines as they interact and help those diagnosed with NPD in the country. The objective of the study is to get an in-depth narrative on the perceptions and experiences of Filipino mental health workers with Filipino clients diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder in the Philippines. This study emphasizes the role of the academic institutions, peers, and profession, the DSM-5, and the actual practice of mental health workers with individuals diagnosed with NPD as the primary factors that shape and influence the perceptions and experiences of mental health workers with their Filipino clients diagnosed with NPD in the country. These include the prevalence or frequency of the disorder, the symptoms unique to Filipinos, and the interventions done in order to manage it. The researcher used a qualitative strategy, the phenomenological approach as the researcher wants to identify the experiences about the phenomenon of Narcissistic Personality Disorder in the Philippines through lived experiences of the mental health workers interacting with them. 10 mental health workers were purposively selected from hospitals, private clinics, and academic institutions, as quite few mental health workers actually had experience with NPD. The results yielded from the data collection and analysis showed that NPD clients were quite low in terms of frequency, about 5% only occurred throughout a mental health worker’s span of years in practice. Comorbid disorders that often occur with NPD include Depression, Anti-Social personality disorder and substance abuse. Relapses occur all the time, as personality disorders are really embedded in an individual’s life, and have no cure, merely alleviation of symptoms. The commonly observed symptoms among Filipino clients with NPD include their dependence on their families, family overprotectiveness, child-rearing techniques, emotional inexpressiveness, religious beliefs, and norms in a patriarchal society, and these, together with the universally accepted criteria based on the DSM-5 and knowledge from academic institutions, peers, and profession, all shape the way a Filipino NPD patient can be defined. The types of interventions most often used include Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral therapy, Interpersonal therapy, Mindfulness therapy, and Group therapy, all of which the family and significant people play a great role in order to successfully intervene with the disorder.