Anonymous asked: Could you talk about how a combination of NPD and BPD might present? I tried to ask a doctor in a treatment facility once and he couldn't really answer the question.
I’ve been sitting on this ask for a bit, because I wasn’t entirely sure how to answer as comorbidity in general can be confusing and can present in any number of ways.
We have a post here that discusses various aspects of BPD and NPD, though not necessarily how they might present together. There’s another one here that actually compares and contrasts the two.
The original texts wrote a book, Between the Lines, in which she discusses BPD and NPD, and a few of the people who participated in her study have comorbid BPD and NPD, so that may be helpful for you as well! It’s very well written and super informative, and I highly recommend you check it out either way!
I’ve been digging around a bit on the subject, as it’s something that I’m interested in as well. I’ve recently been emailing some professors and academics to see if I can access articles and papers they’ve written on the subject, and if I can get access, I’ll share what I can.
In the meantime, here are a couple articles I was able to find:
- NPD and BPD
- Common Co-Occurring Disorders with BPD (this one only has a teeny paragraph about it)
There’s really not much out there that can be easily accessed on the internet. As I (hopefully) begin hearing back from the people I’ve contacted, I’ll try to compile some sort of post on my own with my findings and I’ll probably enlist Z to help me turn that all into an infographic for easier reading.
Anyway…I think the main similarities between the two disorders are: insecure attachment styles, black and white thinking, object/emotional permanence, and impaired empathic functioning. Of course, with empathy, as with attachment styles, BPD and NPD are pretty much in direct contrast with each other, but overall, the general volatility of those two aspects is a pretty big similarity.
Honestly, I can’t give you a ton of information off the top of my head, unfortunately, but I would suggest reaching out to other blogs, as I know I’ve seen people on tumblr who have comorbid BPD and NPD. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful right now!
-Sydney
