Narcissism - Is NPD Caused by Chemical Imbalance?

Is NPD Caused by Chemical Imbalance?

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The relative amounts of certain neurotransmitters (chemicals that transmit, or block the transmission of, electrochemical currents in the brain) are often associated with psychological problems. But that doesn't mean that an imbalance caused the problem. The imbalance may well be the result of the problem.

For example, after the death of someone near and dear, we are normally depressed for a while. The sad feelings and thoughts of grief cause the brain cells involved to produce certain neurotransmitters in the transmission of these currents through the circuits they belong to. As the concentration of these neurotransmitters builds, it takes less and less stimulus to cause that sinking feeling we get in grief. So, the increased level of the "depressing" neurotransmitters makes us think more depressed thoughts, releasing more of these neurotransmitters that make us feel depressed and . . . . You can see where this is going. Runaway feedback into a vicious cycle.

The brain, however, is a marvelous organ with many built-in controls. For example, high levels of these "depressing" neurotransmitters also feeds back to lower the threshold for stimulation in the circuitry that makes us laugh. In other words, Nature endows us with a chemistry that enhances our sense of humor at such times. Things seem funnier. Not only during times of grief, but during times of trauma and great stress. This is what's responsible for the phenomenon known as "foxhole humor."

This counterbalancing mechanism is an excellent example of how the body protects and heals itself. So, normally, after our loss we get back into the rhythm of life and its distractions. We laugh again. Over time our happier thoughts and our natural desire to be happy gradually bring the concentrations of those "depressing" neurotransmitters down to normal again. This is why the depression caused by such events is viewed as normal (and perhaps beneficial in some ways) unless it lasts too long and runs too deep. Temporary medication with drugs that restore the normal balance quicker can help.

But, of course, a person disposed to depression by habitual thinking patterns or some ongoing cause will soon become depressed again when drug therapy is stopped.

Hopefully, drugs will be found that can help narcissists through the pain of facing their true selves. This would make them less resistant to therapy and thus give treatment a chance to succeed.

See also:

The Loss of Sadness: How Psychiatry Transformed Normal Sorrow into Depressive Disorder by Alan V. Horwitz

Blaming the Brain: The Truth About Drugs and Mental Health by Elliot Vallenstein

© 2004 – 2008, Kathleen Krajco — all rights reserved worldwide.
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It was last updated on 3/8/2008.
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