Narcissistic Personality Disorder - NPD

Narcissistic Personality Disorder Description - Treatment, cause, symptom, medication, test

Narcissistic personality disorder is listed in DSM-IV but not in ICD-10 where it is one of the disorders coded in the residual category 'other specific personality disorder'.

Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by self-centeredness. Like histrionic disorder, people with this disorder seek attention and praise. They exaggerate their achievements, expecting others to recongize them as being superior. They tend to be choosy about picking friends, since they believe that not just anyone is worthy of being their friend. They tend to make good first impressions, yet have difficulty maintaining long-lasting relationships. They are generally uninterested in the feelings of others and may take advantage of them.

Behavior or a fantasy of grandiosity, a lack of empathy, a need to be admired by others, an inability to see the viewpoints of others, and hypersensitive to the opinions of others.

People with narcissistic personality have an exaggerated sense of self-importance, are absorbed by fantasies of unlimited success, and seek constant attention. The narcissistic personality is oversensitive to failure and often complains of multiple somatic symptoms.

Prone to extreme mood swings between self-admiration and insecurity, these people tend to exploit interpersonal relationships.

Diagnostic Criteria of Narcissistic personality disorder

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

1. has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
3. believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
4. requires excessive admiration
5. has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
6. is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
7. lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
8. is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her
9. shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

Treatment of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Individuals with personality disorders usually come for therapy with presenting issues other than personality problems - most often depression and anxiety. They often see the difficulties that they have with others as external and independent of their behavior or input. Individuals with NPD do not tolerate discomfort well and most commonly enter therapy for depression. NPD depression is often precipitated by a crisis that punctures the narcissistic grandiosity and reflects the discrepancy between NPD expectations or fantasies and reality.

Features of narcissistic personality disorder

• Lacks empathy
• Requires excessive admiration
• Grandiose self-importance
• Fantasizes unlimited success, power, etc
• Senses of entitlement to favours and compliance
• Arrogant and haughty
• Believes himself special
• Exploits others
• Envious; believes others envy him

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hi there again what i have have just read its what i see from my boss in the way he thinks he is better than anyone els as inthe way he treats me,and put me down and makes me feel very small to make him self feel good in what he says and does yet devalues me in some way. ---steve

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Site last updated: March 4, 2008

narcissistic personality disorder