Have you ever thought that someone in your life currently or someone you were involved with in the past is a narcissist?

Perhaps you think that you may be living with one. You, or someone you know, could even have horrific stories to tell of Machiavellian encounters with your “loved one” that just wouldn't stop. You may think that you are being treated like an “object” used for their every desire or used like you are a slave and you just can't understand why. Some poor souls who believe they have been victims of narcissism tell of going through hell, then ending up divorced and millions of dollars in debt. Or, you are positive your boss is a narcissist and you need to figure out how to deal with it or you are going to “go crazy” or resign before you do. Maybe people have accused you of being a narcissist and you think this accusation is just a nasty way of telling you they think you are selfish. Of course, you are better than most everyone else. Why can't the world just accept it?

Why won't everybody do what you tell them to do? They know you are always right! Or have you ever feared that because you have so many “broken” relationships that you are indeed a narcissist? What is narcissism anyway? Is it really a mental problem that some people have or is it just a “bad personality type”? If it is a mental condition, how do you get it? Is it contagious? Is it “terminal'? Can it be treated with drugs? Why in the world would anybody call the love-of-self narcissistic? I heard that a certain amount of narcissism is healthy and without having it, you are going to get trampled on in life. Is this true? Where did this term come from?

Once you have narcissism, if it is real, can anybody really do anything about it? Can a doctor help my spouse or my boss or not? If so, what kind of doctor?

Rina Mcnally