Anonymous
February 12, 2026 at 8:59:30 PM
can you explain how its like having both npd + avpd? i completely agree with your opinion on comorbidity and how everyone is multifaced, and i do not mean to stigmatize these disorders. i just want to learn more on how it feels to have pds that contradict each other
im going to assume its like that for one alter, they experience more npd symptoms, and for another, they experience more avpd symptoms. please correct me if im wrong!!
Replied on: February 12, 2026 at 9:09:39 PM
hiii anon yes of course i can explain !! to begin with, you’re absolutely right in saying that some alters experience more npd symptoms, and some experience more avpd symptoms !!
as for how they work when they’re comorbid, in cases where i have alters holding symptoms of both it tends to look like this:
- the npd symptoms can be more covert, or that alter may be an insecure / vulnerable narcissist. they may be even more sensitive to criticism than those who only hold npd, as both disorders involve a huge fear / bad response to criticism
- when these alters experience narc crashes, they may isolate themselves entirely and feel genuine fear about having their personal image threatened, as opposed to anger like my other npd holders tend to feel.
- i often find that the baseline for alters who hold both is a lot lower. what i mean by this is that a lot of my npd holders tend to inherently believe in their role in a hierarchy being above others, and they cannot be convinced otherwise. when an alter holds avpd as well, they may struggle to view themselves as above others automatically and feel the need to prove themselves because of how deeply insecure they are. this doesn’t mean my npd holders aren’t also insecure !! it’s in the nature of npd to be inherently insecure under the surface, that’s why the disorder presents itself in the way it does as a defense mechanism !! however, alters who hold both avpd and npd tend to be a bit more aware of the fact that what my npd tells them about their superiority etc may not be true, meaning their baselines are a lot lower and they’re far more likely to experience crashes.
- as well as this, alters who hold both may feel embarrassed at how both disorders cause them to act. from an avpd standpoint, it can feel horrifying and mortifying to be seen at all, let alone being seen acting out and displaying npd symptoms. on the other hand, they may feel immense shame at being so afraid due to my npd telling them it’s pathetic and they should work harder to earn their place in a hierarchy. this is where the main contradiction comes in ^^
i hope this makes sense !! please do note i am only diagnosed with avpd traits, not the full disorder. this means i have far less holders of avpd and do not meet the entire diagnostic criteria. as such my npd tends to overshadow my avpd traits a lot more !!