Narcissistic Personality Disorder Statistics
Why They are Unjust to Victims
Written by Randi Fine, Narcissistic Abuse Expert
Narcissistic Abuse Awareness and Guidance with Randi Fine
The reporting of narcissistic personality disorder statistics vary greatly. That is because there is no true way to track the disorder in those who have it. A more accurate study of its prevalence could be accomplished through the tracking of those who have suffered its abuse, but because these people do not have a "diagnosable disorder", that is not likely to happen any time soon.
It never fails to amaze me that when learning of my professional platform, at least one out of every four or five people I talk to report having either suffered narcissistic abuse or knowing someone who has.
Narcissistic abuse has reached epidemic proportions. Awareness of it has skyrocketed in the last ten years. Those who have suffered the enduring effects of it for years now have a wealth of resources to identify the source of their pain. Sadly the mental health community at large has yet to acknowledge how serious and widespread the narcissistic abuse problem is.
As an NPD abuse coach worldwide I modestly estimate that hundreds of thousands of people (if not millions) have had their lives destroyed by the narcissistic personality disordered. Children all over the world are consistently targeted by predatory parents who use and abuse them. They are deprived of their right to thrive.
Narcissists are everywhere. They run rampant in families, romantic relationships, friendships, workplaces, the corporate world, the entertainment industry, and the government. Covert narcissists, of which there are many, operate just below the radar, therefore are not easily recognized. That makes them extremely dangerous. Overt narcissists, much more obvious in their predatory behaviors, are more likely to be exposed. These are the actors, politicians, and government officials we frequently hear about in the news; now more than ever.
One would wonder why nothing is being done to stop these masses of soul sucking criminals. The answer is three-fold. Narcissists are masters of disguise, licensed mental health professionals have little experience in working with them, and the criminal justice system is easily manipulated by them.
Those with narcissistic personality disorder are mentally ill but not insane. They are fully present in the real world and cognizant of everything they do. Narcissists are masterful manipulators who employ brainwashing tactics and psychological warfare to control their victims. They brilliantly mastermind covert plans that the non-pathological mind could never even conceive, arrogantly assuming that their victims will never catch on. They believe they are smarter, better, more perfect, and more deserving than everyone else is. The problem is that they do not know anything is wrong with them.
Due to the nature of the NPD disorder, those who have it cannot recognize they do. Their pathology blinds them to the reality of who they are. Even a subtle mention that something about them needs improving incites a terrifying rage. So, though it is possible for those with narcissistic personality disorder to get better, they never will.
Narcissists rarely seek out the guidance of licensed mental health professionals because they don't think anything is wrong with them. If they are coerced into treatment they will either manipulate the therapists or doctor into believing there is nothing wrong with them, or they will call them quacks and never go back.
Licensed mental health professionals cannot legally diagnose a disorder without having first done a complete mental health evaluation. No matter how obvious the person’s pathology is they will rarely call it by name without doing one.
Knowing there is no true data on the prevalence of NPD, I was shocked and appalled to see the Mayo Clinic publicly classifying the disorder as “rare.” Statistics on the prevalence of NPD are highly inaccurate because they are based on reporting and studies. Reporting cannot possibly reflect an accurate count, nor can studies.
I and many other pioneers work tirelessly to bring awareness to the global prevalence of NPD and the abuse caused by it. That irresponsible reporting coming from a highly respected, highly regarded institution such as the Mayo Clinic is hugely disappointing. Understanding as I do the vast ignorance that exists among many professionals on this topic, I should not have been so surprised. Still I gasped when I searched NPD and saw this report plastered on the entire right side of a Google page.
I promise to passionately fight to bring awareness to this suffering until I expire or it exists no more. You have my word. I will not be deterred.
Randi Fine is an internationally renowned narcissistic abuse expert and coach, and the author of the groundbreaking book Close Encounters of the Worst Kind: The Narcissistic Abuse Survivor’s Guide to Healing, the most comprehensive, most well researched, and most up-to-date book on this subject. In addition to helping survivors recognize their abuse and heal from it, this book teaches mental health professionals how to recognize and properly treat the associated abuse syndrome. She is also the author of Cliffedge Road: A Memoir, the first and only book to characterize the life-long progression of complications caused by narcissistic child abuse.
