A man diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) has shared the key question to determine if you might have narcissistic traits.
Over on TikTok, Jacob Skidmore - aka @thenamelessnarcissist - explained how to truly understand if you might also suffer from the condition.
Skidmore has been diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) and is on a mission to explain the complexities of NPD and other mental health conditions.
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The US-based content creator has over 200k followers and regularly shares videos about the condition, providing followers with useful information about NPD.
He also breaks down myths and stigma associated with narcissism, which is broadly defined as having a 'pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration and lack of empathy'.
In a recent video, Skidmore explained the one question you should ask, if you've ever wondered if you could have NPD.
"As a diagnosed narcissist, I'm going to give you a different perspective on it," he explained.
"Because I guarantee, most people are gonna tell you, well, if you're wondering if you're a narcissist then you must not be because they wouldn't ask that, they wouldn't worry about it, which isn't necessarily true.
"There's people like me who have suspected it at points in their life.
"So I encourage you to view this question through a different lens. Why are you worried that you're a narcissist?
"Ask yourself that. I guarantee it's not because you're worried that you're suffering from a serious mental health condition.
"I would put money that you are worried this says something about your character, that this is proof if you're a narcissist that you are irredeemable and an abuser and a terrible person.
"Because that's what the media tells us all the time.
"This is actually a big issue, people with OCD, they will actually have obsessions about being a narcissist because they think this makes me a terrible person."
Skidmore went on to explain that once people stop viewing narcissism as something 'terrible' and as a mental health condition, they'll probably stop worrying about it.
"Most people that are worried they're a narcissist, as soon as they start viewing it as a mental health condition, and not as a statement that they're terrible and damned to hurt everybody they've ever met, they won't worry about it anymore," he said.
"Or it will give them clarity if they might be suffering from the condition, because at the end of the day, a mental health condition.
"It's not a statement that you are a horrible person."
According to the NHS, common features of a personality disorder include:
- being overwhelmed by negative feelings like distress, anxiety, worthlessness or anger
- avoiding other people
- feeling empty and emotionally disconnected
- odd behaviour
- difficulty maintaining stable and close relationships, especially with partners, children and professional carers
- periods of losing contact with reality
If you believe you could have NPD, then it's best to go to your GP for an official diagnosis and treatment.
Lucy Devine