Narcissistic personality disorder typically involves an inflated sense of self-importance
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a mental health condition that typically involves an inflated sense of self-importance, extreme need for attention and admiration, superficial relationships and lack of empathy.
NPD is often accompanied by other psychiatric disorders and can be difficult to treat. It’s also a significant risk factor for suicide and suicidal attempts and should be addressed by a medical professional.
12 signs of a narcissist
1. Grandiose sense of self
- Feels superior to others and believes they deserve special treatment
- Often accompanied by fantasies of unlimited success, brilliance, power, beauty or love
2. Excessive need for admiration
- Must be the center of attention
- Feels slighted, mistreated, depleted and enraged when ignored
- Often monopolizes conversations
3. Superficial and exploitative relationships
- Bases relationships on surface attributes and not unique qualities of others
- Values people only to the extent they are beneficial to themselves
4. Need for control
- Perfectionistic
- Becomes upset when things don’t go their way
5. Lack of empathy
- Severely limited or totally lacking the ability to care about the emotional needs or experiences of others, even loved ones
6. Identity disturbance
- Sense of self is highly superficial, extremely rigid, often fragile and easily threatened
- Self-stability depends on maintaining the view that one is exceptional
- Retreats from or denies realities that challenge this view of self
7. Difficulty with attachment and dependency
- Relies on feedback from environment
- Relationships exist only to shore up positive self-image
- Tends to avoid intimacy; interpersonal interactions are superficial
8. Chronic feelings of emptiness and boredom
- Feels empty, bored, depressed or restless when attention and praise are not available
9. Vulnerability to life transitions
- Difficulty maintaining reality-based personal and professional goals over time
- Feels overwhelmed by compromises required by school, jobs and relationships
- May have “failure to launch” syndrome when young
10. Lack of responsibility
- Blames others for their faults
- Deflects responsibility onto others, often with those close to them
11. Lack of boundaries
- Believes others think the same as they do
- Feels shocked and insulted when told no
12. Fear of rejection
- Afraid of being wrong or seen as bad or inadequate
- Does not develop trust in the love of others
How is narcissistic personality disorder diagnosed?
While the traits above are examples of how people with NPD behave, a clinical diagnosis of NPD is based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria. Someone is diagnosed with NPD if they meet at least 5 of the 9 traits below:
- Grandiose sense of self-importance
- Sense of entitlement
- Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty or ideal love
- Belief that they are “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people or institutions
- Require excessive admiration
- Interpersonally exploitative and take advantage of others
- Lack empathy
- Envy others or believe others are envious of them
- Show arrogant, haughty behaviors and attitudes