Is It Self-Esteem or Self-Importance? Exploring Narcissistic Personality Disorder

There’s no question that healthy self-esteem serves us well. It helps us navigate everything from our personal growth to our relationships and careers. And while exaggerated self-esteem can lead to interpersonal and other challenges, even such inflation tends not to indicate psychiatric illness.
However, when someone develops an excessive and pervasive sense of self-importance, becomes extremely preoccupied with themselves, and shows a lack of empathy for others, they might very well be struggling with a mental health condition known as narcissistic personality disorder, or NPD.
So how can one tell the difference between healthy self-esteem, occasional narcissism, and NPD? When should professional help be sought? And what does effective treatment look like?
Igor Weinberg, PhD, breaks down both the healthy and problematic ways we can see ourselves and the impacts of those perceptions, explores why NPD remains so stigmatized today, and answers questions about the disorder’s treatment and commonly co-occurring conditions.