Poll Details
Recently I carried out an unoffical poll involving approximately 5,500 former victims of narcissistic abuse and other people who have viewed my articles in order to get a grasp on the statistics based on public opinion, rather than relying on 'official' sources.
The poll was spread out over a period of eighteen months in order to gain as accurate insight as possible from the general public. When I say "general public", I mean mainly people who have had direct experience of dealing with narcissistic abuse in their lives and people who have an interest in the topic.
Some of the results are
shocking.The poll involved just three questions:
- Have you ever had the misfortune to deal with a narcissist?
- If yes, how long did it take you to realize they were a narcissist?
- Once you realized they were a narcissist, how long did it take you to escape?
The Results
Have you ever had to deal with narcissistic abuse in your life?
Out of those 5,500 people, a huge 99% of them answered yes. In other words, the majority of people who took part in the people were indeed former victims (or current victims) of narcissistic abuse which adds to the efficacy of the poll and the accuracy of the results.
How long did it take you to realize that they were a narcissist?
Out of the 5,500 people, a significant 16% of them answered that it took 25 years or more
for them to become aware of what was really going on and that they were being victimized not just by an abuser, but by a narcissist. The majority (43%), however, answered that it took up to 5 years. 16% claimed it took between 5-10 years, 12% answered 10-15 years and 13% answered 15-20 years.Once you figured out they were a narcissist, how long did it take to escape the situation?
Out of 5,500 people, as many as 15% of them claimed that it took them five years or more to remove themselves from the situation. However, the majority (46%) managed to escape the situation within twelve months. For 21% of them, it took between 1-2 years, for 10% of them it took 2-3 years and for 8% it took between 3-5 years.
The poll shows that 99% of people who have an interest in the topic are former victims of narcissistic abuse. The remaining 1% (just 55 people) had not had personal experience with narcissists which may indicate that therapists, counsellors and suchlike are not really researching or educating themselves on the topic as much as they perhaps should be.
The results show that narcissistic abuse is much more widespread than is generally believed and that rather than going to a therapist or counsellor for help with the situation, the majority of victims turn to the internet instead because the help needed is simply just not available.
