It includes stalking, harassment, physical or sexual abuse. According to the Center for Disease Control, teen DV has both serious short-term and long-term consequences. While healthy relationships tend to have a positive effect on emotional development and future relationships, abusive relationships often do the opposite. Dating violence victims are likely to experience suicidal thoughts, antisocial behaviors, depression and anxiety, and engage in unhealthy behaviors such as alcohol and drug use. Unfortunately, many cases go unreported because victims are afraid to tell their family and friends. If you are experiencing dating abuse, then please get help immediately. We include various resources to assist you. If, on the other hand, you have been accused of violence, you may face serious criminal charges and might need a criminal defense attorney to assist you. Throughout February, organizations and individuals nationwide are coming together to highlight the need to educate young people about dating violence, teach healthy relationship skills and prevent the devastating cycle of abuse. With their adult allies, youth activists achieved a major victory in 2005 and 2013 when the importance of addressing teen dating abuse was highlighted in the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Both Chambers of Congress have declared the entire month of February to teen dating violence awareness and prevention. Please visit our resource center for more information. Also, visit Love Is Respect to find out more about Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.
Individuals who have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) believe they are superior and unique compared to others. Signs you could be dating an individual with NPD include the fact that they have very few or no friends, lack empathy, and often gaslight you. What is a narcissist? When someone posts one too many selfies on their social media or talks about themselves constantly during a first date, you might call them a narcissist. But a true narcissist is someone who has narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Individuals who have NPD believe they are superior and unique compared to others, and they expect to be recognized and treated as such. They are often unable to recognize the opinions and needs of others and are dismissive of others’ problems. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) lists nine criteria for NPD, but it specifies that someone only needs to meet five of them to clinically qualify as a narcissist. What it boils down to, according to licensed therapist Rebecca Weiler, LMHC, is selfishness at the expense of others, plus the inability to consider others’ feelings at all.
Like most mental health or personality disorders, there are varying degrees of NPD severity. In outpatient settings, for example, people who have a narcissistic personality disorder may be high functioning and relatable, but in the inpatient settings, they can be aggressive and challenging. A person’s aggression typically indicates the severity of the disorder. Additionally, people who have NPD often experience other physical and mental health conditions, like substance use disorder and anxiety, which may further complicate close relationships. All that said, knowing the "official" diagnostic criteria doesn’t usually make it easier to spot someone with NPD, especially when you’re romantically involved with one. A qualified expert will typically have to administer a standard psychiatric interview to determine if someone has NPD. Still, knowing the signs of NPD may help give your relationship some context. Here are some signs to look out for and tips to handle them. People who have NPD gravitate toward grandiosity and fantasy. Your relationship might have felt like a fairytale at first - maybe they complimented you constantly or told you they loved you within the first month. Da ta was gen erated by GSA Content G en er at or D emoversion !
Maybe they tell you how smart you are or emphasize how compatible you are, even if you just started seeing each other. "Narcissists think that they deserve to be with other people who are special, and that special people are the only ones who can appreciate them fully," says Nedra Glover Tawwab, LCSW, the founder of Kaleidoscope Counseling in Charlotte, North Carolina. Weiler’s advice: If someone came on too strong at the beginning, be wary. Sure, we all love to feel lusted for. But real love has to be nurtured and grown. "If you think it’s too early for them to really love you, it probably is. Or if you feel like they don’t know enough about you to actually love you, they probably don’t," Weiler says. People with NPD will try to manufacture superficial connections early on in a relationship. People with NPD have an inflated sense of self-importance and are prone to exaggerating achievements and sex (t.antj.link) expecting to be recognized as superior.
"Narcissists love to constantly talk about their own accomplishments and achievements with grandiose," says psychotherapist Jacklyn Krol, LCSW, of Mind Rejuvenation Therapy. Clinical psychologist Dr. Angela Grace, PhD, MEd, BFA, BEd, adds that narcissists will often exaggerate their accomplishments and embellish their talents in these stories in order to gain adoration from others. They’re also too busy talking about themselves to listen to you. The warning is two-part here, says Grace. First, your partner won’t stop talking about themselves, and second, your partner won’t engage in conversation about you. Consider these questions: What happens when you do talk about yourself? Do they ask follow-up questions and express interest to learn more about you? Or do they make it about them? Narcissists may seem like they’re super self-confident. But according to Tawwab, most people with NPD actually lack self-esteem and require excessive attention and admiration. "They need a lot of praise, and if you’re not giving it to them, they’ll fish for it," she says.