Reflections on mentalization-based treatment and its adaptation for men presenting a narcissistic personality disorder and a not otherwise specified personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) and not otherwise specified personality disorder (borderline and narcissistic) are major mental health problems for men. These pathologies predispose patients to significant relational difficulties which are characterised by intense reactions to perceived threats to the self-esteem and an impaired empathic ability. Understanding these disorders as affect dysregulation stimulated by shame, the author presents how patients in this context are prone to lose their capacity to mentalize. This article describes a specific individual and group mentalization-based treatment and its implementation for treating narcissistic men. Different reflections on the treatment, on empathy, as well as on the adaptation of this treatment for NPD patients are presented and illustrated with clinical vignettes.