Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Excerpt

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5). The disorder is classified in the dimensional model of "Personality Disorders."NPD is highly comorbid with other disorders in mental health. Persons with NPD can often present with impairment in maintaining work and relationships. NPD is highly prevalent in society; however, there has been limited research on the same. Given the limited research on the same and differences in the diagnosis of the disease, it was initially going to be discontinued from the DSM.NPD is under the umbrella of Cluster B personality disorders, which include antisocial personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder. Cluster B typically presents with overtly emotional and unpredictable behavior.

NPD has been associated with the concept of " development." "Development" has been central to studies that have been done to understand the psychopathology and etiology of NPD. Experts such as Otto Kernberg and Eve Caligor have introduced more standardized evaluation tools to understand the disorder. Due to NPD comorbidity with other mental disorders and its elevated medical, social, and psychiatric complications, and a gap of knowledge about the disorder, understanding NPD is warranted. This paper aims to cover the gap and incite more research on NPD.