The meme says it best:

“Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The only disorder where everyone ends up in therapy except for the person who should be in therapy.”

It’s funny because it’s true—but it’s also tragic. Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) isn’t just about arrogance or self-importance. It’s a clinically recognized mental health condition listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). The fallout of this disorder often extends far beyond the person with NPD, impacting partners, children, coworkers, and entire communities.

The DSM-5 Criteria and Mark’s Behavior

According to the DSM-5, NPD is defined by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning in early adulthood and present across many contexts. Diagnosis requires at least five of nine criteria. Mark’s behavior demonstrates all nine:

1. A Grandiose Sense of Self-Importance
   Mark frames himself as the only one “telling the truth,” casting courts, doctors, and family as liars or “demonic.” Despite court findings, he positions himself as a misunderstood hero.
2. Preoccupation with Fantasies of Unlimited Success, Power, Brilliance, Beauty, or Ideal Love
   He frequently claims his book will “change everything,” that conspiracies will be exposed, and that his brilliance will be recognized. These fantasies never materialize, but they drive his narrative.
3. Belief That He Is “Special” and Can Only Be Understood by High-Status People
   Mark dismisses licensed psychiatrists and medical experts, while elevating fringe health theories and mystical claims, suggesting only the “chosen” or “spiritual” can understand him.
4. A Need for Excessive Admiration
   His social media is littered with victim posts pinned like trophies, designed to solicit sympathy and validation. Each post is a bid for admiration, cloaked in self-pity and anger.
5. A Sense of Entitlement
   From refusing to reimburse Nathan’s baseball uniformto expecting Melissa’s husband to financially support his children, Mark consistently assumes others should shoulder his responsibilities.
6. Exploitation of Others
   He coerced Liam into signing a “contract” denying his diagnosis, exposing his child to immense psychological harm. At basketball games, he exploited chaos for attention while his guest heckled children and parents.
7. Lack of Empathy
   When doctors stressed Liam’s urgent medical needs, Mark dismissed ARFID as “made up”. He laughed and filmed while his guest distressed children and families. His disregard for the suffering of others is a defining trait.
8. Envy of Others, or Belief That Others Envy Him
   Mark often reframes criticism as jealousy. He has referred to Tori’s new “marriage” with disdain, calling her and her partner “weird.” His scorn is less about truth and more a thin veil for envy and resentment.
9. Demonstration of Arrogant or Haughty Behaviors or Attitudes
   He routinely belittles professionals, dismisses co-parents, and mocks anyone who challenges him. Courts, doctors, and family are “wrong,” while he alone knows the truth.

The Fallout on Families

This isn’t an abstract diagnosis—it’s lived reality:

• Liam is in therapy. He continues treatment for ARFID and OCD, both worsened by Mark’s distorted beliefs and manipulation.
• Melissa was in therapy. She still carries heavy triggers, reminders of years of emotional abuse and control.
• Tori? It’s unclear whether she has sought therapy, but being in Mark’s orbit leaves its mark.
• Mark refuses to even be evaluated. Despite court-ordered directives for mental health and domestic violence evaluations, he has avoided every opportunity.

When we step back, the meme isn’t just ironic—it’s autobiographical.

Why the Meme Hits Home

People with NPD rarely seek treatment voluntarily. In their worldview, they aren’t the problem—everyone else is. That’s why Liam is in therapy. That’s why Melissa has had to unpack trauma. That’s why communities have seen chaos follow Mark into gyms, courts, and homes.

Meanwhile, Mark sits back, convinced he’s the only one who understands the “real truth.”

Final Thought

The DSM-5 gives us the clinical language, but the meme captures the truth: in families touched by NPD, everyone else ends up in therapy. Liam is fighting to heal. Melissa has done the hard work in therapy, though scars remain. Tori’s therapy status is unknown. But Mark—despite court orders, despite countless opportunities—refuses to even sit for an evaluation.

And that’s why this meme doesn’t just sting with irony—it reads like his biography.

Citations:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
• Rao, N. (2023). Clinical letter regarding Liam Stephens [Case documentation].
• Peters, R. (2024). Statement on Mark Stephens’ behavior at youth events [Community documentation].