NEW YORK — Narcissistic personality disorder crosses the border of healthy confidence into thinking so highly of yourself you put yourself on a pedestal. You may come across as conceited, boastful or pretentious. You may have a sense of entitlement. And when you don't receive the special treatment to which you feel entitled, you may become very impatient or angry.

Underneath all this behavior often lies a fragile self-esteem. You have trouble handling anything that may be perceived as criticism. You may have a sense of secret shame and humiliation.

When you have narcissistic personality disorder, you may not want to think anything could be wrong — doing so wouldn't fit with your self-image of power and perfection. You may be generally unhappy and confused by a mix of seemingly contradictory emotions.