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How to REALLY spot a narcissist and can they change?

We put your questions to a leading expert.

Am I a narcissist? Am I dating a narcissist? Is narcissism becoming more common? How do I spot a narcissist? Can narcissists change or be treated?

These are just some of the many questions which people - especially on social media - ask about narcissism. It’s a term which gets banded around A LOT these days, but what actually is it? Well, we took five of the most asked questions about narcissism and put them to an expert. In this episode we sit down with Ramani Durvasula (@DoctorRamani on YouTube) - a bestselling author, clinical psychologist and leading expert on narcissism and narcissistic relationships.

And, just to be clear, in this episode we’re talking about the narcissism as a personality style not the diagnosable disorder. There’s a big difference. Narcissism is a spectrum of several behaviours and characteristics - like being overly sensitive to criticism and having an unshakeable belief you’re better or more deserving than other people. But Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is more rare and much more extreme — it’s a diagnosed mental health condition where a person demonstrates many of the traits repeatedly and over time, and these traits significantly interfere with a person's life.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: William Lee Adams
Producer: Mora Morrison
Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal
Editor: Verity Wilde

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11 minutes

Last on

Fri 5 Sep 2025 02:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 4 Sep 2025 17:50GMT
  • Fri 5 Sep 2025 02:50GMT

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