A Guide to Mental Disorders

Narcissistic Personality Disorder ☆

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention and want people to admire them. People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence, they are not sure of their self-worth and are easily upset by the slightest criticism.

A narcissistic personality disorder causes problems in many areas of life, such as relationships, work, school or financial matters. People with narcissistic personality disorder may be generally unhappy and disappointed when they're not given the special favors or admiration that they believe they deserve. They may find their relationships troubled and unfulfilling, and other people may not enjoy being around them.

NPD gets its name from Narcissus, a hunter from Greek mythology. According to the myth, Narcissus was so obsessed with his own beauty that he couldn't stop looking at his reflection in a pool of water. He did nothing else but stare at his reflection until he died.

While people commonly connect the term "narcissism" to physical appearance — just like in the myth — NPD isn't just about how you look. It can also involve other traits or abilities you have, such as intelligence, charisma, artistic skill, athletic ability, wealth, power, success and more.

What are the signs and symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder?
The symptoms of NPD all revolve around thoughts, feelings and actions. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition text revision (also known as the "DSM-5-TR™" or just "DSM-5®") has a list of nine criteria. To others, the symptoms that fall under the criteria may look like the following:

1. Grandiose sense of self-importance.
- Overestimating their capabilities or holding themselves to unreasonably high standards.
- Bragging or exaggerating their achievements.

2. Frequent fantasies about having or deserving:
- Success.
- Power.
- Intelligence.
- Beauty.
- Love.
- Self-fulfillment.

3. Belief in superiority.
- Thinking they're special or unique.
- Believing they should associate only with those they see as worthy.

4. Need for admiration.
- Fragile self-esteem.
- Frequent self-doubt, self-criticism or emptiness.
- Preoccupation with knowing what others think of them.
- Fishing for compliments.

5. Entitlement.
- Inflated sense of self-worth.
- Expecting favorable treatment (to an unreasonable degree).
- Expect special favors and expect other people to do what they want without questioning them.
- Anger when people don't cater to or appease them.

6. Willingness to exploit others.
- Consciously or unconsciously using others.
- Forming friendships or relationships with people who boost their self-esteem or status.
- Deliberately taking advantage of others for selfish reasons.

7. Lack of empathy.
- Have an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others.
- Saying things that might hurt others.
- Seeing the feelings, needs or desires of others as a sign of weakness.
- Not returning kindness or interest that others show.

8. Frequent envy.
- Feeling envious of others, especially when others are successful.
- Expecting envy from others.
- Belittling or diminishing the achievements of others.

9. Arrogance.
- Patronizing behavior.
- Behaving in a way that's snobby or disdainful.
- Talking down or acting condescendingly.

People with NPD may also show other behaviors related to the nine criteria, but still different, such as:
- Have difficulty managing their emotions and behavior.
- Fear of or avoiding vulnerability.
- Experience major problems dealing with stress and adapting to change.
- Have major problems interacting with others and easily feel slighted.
- Withdrawing from others to hide feeling vulnerable.
- Have secret feelings of insecurity, shame, humiliation and fear of being exposed as a failure.
- Perfectionism (with or without a fear of failure).
- Hypersensitivity to criticism, rejection or failure.
- Experiencing severe depression related to rejection or failure.
- Reacting with anger (or even rage) when they feel criticized or rejected.
- Faking humility to hide their feelings or protect their sense of self-importance.
- Avoiding situations where failure is possible or likely, which can limit achievements.