Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD)

Histrionic Personality Disorder

Do you know someone who always wants attention, acts very dramatic or is always the centre of attention at parties? That person might have histrionic personality disorder or at least some traits.

People with this condition are full of life, expressive, energetic, excited, and playful. Women are diagnosed with HPD about four times more often than men. It affects 2 to 3% of the general population and 10 to 15% of people in mental health hospitals.

What Causes Histrionic Personality Disorder?

The cause of histrionic personality disorder is unknown. However, it is believed that several different things can raise your chances of getting this disorder, such as:

• Getting praise or attention for acting out as a kid.
• A family background of mood or behaviour problems, like personality issues, anxiety, or depression.
• Learning behaviours from a parent or carer who has histrionic personality disorder.
• Not getting scolded or punished as a kid.
• Inconsistent attention from your parents.
• Having had depression or anxiety before.
• A genetic risk for personality disorders.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Histrionic Personality Disorder?

The histrionic personality disorder symptoms that can be found in a person are:

• Uncomfortable when not the centre of attention: These people try hard to be the focus of everyone’s attention, so they will do anything to get it. Most of the time, they want to influence people by how they look. They usually take great care of themselves by going to the gym and exercising. They may also get cosmetic surgery or changes to make sure people notice them.
• Sexually seductive behaviour and conversation: People with histrionic personality disorder think that being attractive or flirtatious is the best way to get attention. These people will be very attractive because of how they dress and talk. They will talk about things a little inappropriately in a flirty manner.
• Impressionistic and vague speech: These people will use very forceful and passionate verbs and adjectives, but their language will lack measurable details. These people cannot define their goals and objectives very well. This must sound unusual because they are not very emotional and therefore not very close to people either.
• Showing strong or over-the-top emotions: These are people who are almost always dramatic and who overemphasise the feelings that they have. These people are such drama queens and kings. People around them feel uncomfortable or even embarrassed by their over-exaggeration of everything they do.
• Easily influenced: This can be disadvantageous because they can follow other people easily and base major decisions on emotions rather than facts.

How to Diagnose Histrionic Personality Disorder?

Like many personality disorders, because it's a part of you, you often don't seek help for these problems. A person's actions, looks, past, and health check-ups are usually enough to figure out what is wrong.

Doctors and therapists use different tests if someone has a histrionic personality disorder. This might include standards created by various organisations, like the World Health Organisation and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

How to Cope With Histrionic Personality Disorder?

To cope with histrionic personality disorder, using self-help methods along with help from a professional can lessen the symptoms. Here are some simple tips for dealing with histrionic personality disorder:

• Create strong connections with others: A lack of security in relationships is often a reason behind histrionic personality disorder. Even though the way we connect with others is shaped when we are young, it’s always possible to build healthier and safer relationships later in life.
• Get to know yourself better: If you have HPD, you might have trouble understanding how your feelings, actions, and the outcomes in your life are connected. Instead, you might dwell on why you are unhappy at work, in your love life, etc.
• Build your self-esteem: People with histrionic personality disorder often feel bad about themselves, so they look for approval from others. This might happen because of things that happened when you were a child, like being teased by your brothers and sisters or getting criticised by your parents.
• Work toward being independent: People with histrionic personality disorder may feel less independent. You might have been so busy trying to make others happy that you haven’t had much chance to decide things for yourself.

How Does Jagruti Rehab help with a Histrionic Personality Disorder?

Understanding that histrionic personality disorder is a psychological issue is crucial. Like all mental health issues, getting help early when you notice problems can reduce how much it affects your life. To address your thoughts and behaviours, we provide treatment services in our hospital and in the community. People with histrionic personality disorder make their families concerned and develop feelings of worry, sadness, and loneliness. At Jagruti Rehab Centre, we intend to help with your mental issues or any psychological problems. Please seek help if you are experiencing the above symptoms.