Psychology Facts

▼ Histrionic Personality Disorder ▼

》Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is a mental health condition marked by intense, unstable emotions and a distorted self-image. The word "histrionic" means "dramatic or theatrical."

》Histrionic personality disorder is one of a group of conditions called "Cluster B", which involves dramatic and erratic behavior.

》People with histrionic personality disorder often don't realize their behavior and way of thinking may be problematic.

》People with HPD have a distorted mental image of themselves. They often base their self-esteem on the approval of others. This creates a need to be noticed. Because of this, people with HPD may resort to dramatic antics.

》Histrionic personality disorder is more common in women. That may be because men report their symptoms less often than women.

》Most people with HPD function successfully in society and at work. In fact, people with HPD usually have great people skills. Unfortunately, they often use these skills to manipulate others.

》The main feature of histrionic personality disorder is displaying excessive, superficial emotionality and sexuality to draw attention to themselves.

A person with histrionic personality disorder may:

Feel underappreciated or depressed when they're not the center of attention.

Have rapidly shifting and shallow emotions.

Be dramatic and extremely emotionally expressive, even to the point of embarrassing friends and family in public.

Have a "larger than life" presence.

Be persistently charming and flirtatious.

Be overly concerned with their physical appearance.

Use their physical appearance to draw attention to themselves by wearing bright-colored clothing or revealing clothing.

Act inappropriately sexual with most of the people they meet, even when they're not sexually attracted to them.

Speak dramatically and express strong opinions but with few facts or details to support their opinions.

Be gullible and easily influenced by others, especially by the people they admire.

Think that their relationships with others are closer than they usually are.

Have difficulty maintaining relationships, often seeming fake or shallow in their interactions with others.

Need instant gratification and become bored or frustrated very easily.

Constantly seek reassurance or approval.

》If you have HPD, you might also be easily frustrated or bored with routines, make rash decisions before thinking, or threaten to commit suicide in order to get attention.

》Personality disorders, including histrionic personality disorder, are among the least understood mental health conditions. Studies that have been done about histrionic and other personality disorders have identified several factors that may lead to the development of histrionic or other personality disorders:

Genetics: Histrionic personality disorder tends to run in families, so scientists think there may be a genetic (inherited) link.

Childhood trauma: Children may cope with trauma, such as or the death of a family member, that later as an adult may be disruptive or problematic in their life and become part of a personality disorder.

Parenting styles: Children who experience parenting styles that lack boundaries, are over-indulgent or inconsistent may be more likely to develop histrionic personality disorder. In addition, parents who display dramatic, erratic, volatile or inappropriate sexual behavior put their children at risk for developing this condition. Some researchers think that problems in parent-child relationships lead to the characteristic low self-esteem in people with HPD.

》Treatment can be difficult if you have HPD. Like many people with HPD, you might think you don't need treatment, or you might find the routine of a treatment program to be unappealing. However, therapy — and sometimes medications — can help you cope with HPD.

》Because a person suspected of having histrionic personality disorder may lack awareness of their behaviors, mental health professionals might ask to collect information from the person's family and friends.

》Diagnosis criteria for histrionic personality disorder require meeting five (or more) of the following persistent behaviors:

Uncomfortable when not the center of attention.Seductive or provocative behavior.Shifting and shallow emotions.Uses appearance to draw attention.Impressionistic and vague speech.Dramatic or exaggerated emotions.Suggestible (easily influenced by others).Considers relationships more intimate than they are.

》In most cases, people with histrionic personality disorder (HPD) don't believe their behaviors are problematic. They also tend to exaggerate their feelings and dislike routine, which makes following a treatment plan difficult. However, they might seek help if depression — possibly associated with a loss or a failed relationship — or another problem caused by their thinking and behavior causes them distress.

Psychotherapy (talk therapy) is generally the treatment of choice for histrionic or other personality disorders. The goal of treatment is to help the person uncover the motivations and fears associated with their thoughts and behavior and to help the person learn to relate to others more positively.