Many people think that Narcissism is just a phase, but that’s not the truth. Although it is human nature to be selfish and proud, a narcissist takes this to a whole new level. You can identify a narcissist by someone with an extremely high sense of importance and belief that they’re special, unique, or better than the others.

About 6% of the entire population suffers from this disorder at least once in their lives and is more common in men than in women. If you think you or someone else has the characteristics of a narcissist, then read further to find out more about this personality disorder.

An Overview

The hallmark of a narcissist lies in their lack of understanding of someone else’s emotions or pain. They carry a highly inflated notion of themselves, but behind this, they have a relatively low self-esteem which can crack with the slightest bit of criticism. They find the need to be first in everyone’s life. This behavior can become incredibly annoying to people, often leading to the criticism of the narcissist.

Symptoms Of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

There are several symptoms of a narcissist, some of which are listed down below.

• A high sense of self-importance. They exaggerate their achievements, talents, and brilliance and expect praise for them even if they haven’t achieved anything that matches to their notion.
• Always preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited power, fame, success, beauty, etc.
• Believe that they are special or unique compared to others.
• Needs constant and excessive praise or admiration.
• Consider themselves to be entitled to significant privileges and special treatment.
• Exploits or takes advantages of others needs or beliefs. Most times, they have unreasonable expectations of people.
• Lacks the power of empathy or fails to understand the emotions or needs of others.
• Is envious of people.
• Comes out as arrogant or rude.

These symptoms can cause distress or depression in a person because of the negative or rejective behavior of the people around them. They have a snobbish or patronizing attitude and tend to complain about even the casual behavior of someone around them.

Diagnosis Of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

There is no blood test, scan or tests of the body that can be done to diagnose this disorder. A psychologist or psychiatrist can make a professional diagnosis. General physicians are not trained to identify this problem which requires a psychological diagnosis.

Many people who suffer from this condition don’t realize that they’re suffering from it and don’t seek help. This happens because their sense of self-importance is so strong that they can’t believe that there is something wrong with them.

The only time they seem to come out for help is when they’re incredibly depressed about the behaviors of people around them. Their personality leads to them being shunned by people who can’t withstand narcissism. The disorder starts affecting their lives so significantly that they suffer from high levels of stress.

Causes Of NPD

There is no definite or one reason why people are affected by narcissistic personality disorder. However, there are several theories that doctors propose on why people are affected by it. The most common theory involves the bio-physiological cause. This means that the cause generally lies under biological and genital factors along with social factors (the way a person interacts with the people around him, like family, friends, peers, etc.) and also psychological factors (a person’s personality and behavior that results from the effect of his/her environment, people and the way the person reacts to stress).

There is not just one single factor that is a result of this behavior. It is a combination of several factors that affect the person’s life. So, it is necessary that you understand the different causes of this disorder to help better treat it. If a person suffers from this disease, then it is highly plausible that they transfer it down to their children.

Types Of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

The treatment of this disorder depends on the severity of the condition. If you have a mild impairment of an ego or are self-centered, then it doesn’t cause any harm to you or the people around you, and you can function normally in your daily life.

A moderate impairment can lead to loss of performance at work or school and cause you to miss out on several chores and essential things in your everyday life. If left unattended, this can cause harm to both you and the people around you. Like ideas of suicide, harming or abusing children, committing crimes, etc.

A severe condition can cause you to shut out friends and family from your life completely, and you might spend most or all of your time locked up in your room and have suicidal tendencies and criminal behavior. This can also require hospitalization and professional treatment to help you cope with the condition.

It is a devastating psychological disorder and if you or someone you know is suffering from this, make sure that you help them get a professional treatment immediately.