Histrionic Personality Disorder

A personality disorder can affect how you cope with life, manage relationships, how you behave, and how you feel. There are different types of personality disorders.
There is no single cause of personality disorder. It can be a combination of reasons, including genetic and environmental causes. Talking therapies are recommended as treatment for personality disorders. (HPD) Histrionic personality disorder occurs in 2% to 3% of the general population. While women receive the diagnosis more often than men, many clinicians believe that men are under diagnosed. A HPD sufferer may be overly concerned with their physical appearance and often use their physical appearance to draw attention to themselves by wearing bright-coloured clothing or revealing clothing. They will act inappropriately sexual with most of the people they meet, even when they're not sexually attracted to them.

If you believe you are suffering from HPD you may:

• feel very uncomfortable if you are not the centre of attention
  
• feel that you have to entertain people
  
• constantly seek, or feel dependent on, the approval of others
  
• make rash decisions
  
• flirt or behave/dress provocatively to ensure that you remain the centre of attention
  
• get a reputation for being dramatic and overemotional
  
• be easily influenced by others.
  

HPD Diagnosis
In the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, it is stated that the essential feature of Histrionic Personality Disorder is pervasive and excessive emotional and attention-seeking personality.

Other Symptoms of Histrionic Personality Disorder

• Consideration of relationships to be more intimate than they are - too familiar with people they don't know well or have barely just met, touching, and fondling them as though they are already best buddies or partners.
  
• Easy suggestibility- If they notice that the most important person in the room holds an opinion, they sometimes express the same opinion regardless of prior feelings on the matter.
  
• Self-dramatisation, theatrics, and exaggerated expression of emotions -The behaviour can suddenly change; however, if it is not getting the desired attention.
  
• Style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail - express certain opinions that would shock ever one around to get the attention of the group focused on themselves.
  
• Recurrent attention-seeking behaviours may lead you to believe that ignoring a histrionic personality is the only way to go. But, ignoring your partner with a histrionic personality may increase their emotional distress and, in turn, increase the chance of more attention-seeking and overdramatic behaviours.
  

Treatment Options
Supportive Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Psychodynamic or Analytic psychotherapy. Certain types of psychotherapy have been found to be effective for managing Histrionic Personality Disorder. Histrionic Personality Disorder has no cure, however, symptoms tend to improve as people with the disorder grow older and mature. With therapy, people with Histrionic Personality Disorder are better able to interact socially.

Group therapy and family therapy are generally not recommended for people with histrionic personality disorder. This is because some of their symptoms—such as seeking attention and exaggerating symptoms—may be triggered or worsened in a group atmosphere.

Possible Causes

Parents who show dramatic, erratic, volatile, or inappropriate sexual behaviour might increase the risk that their children will develop Histrionic Personality Disorder.
An indulgent parenting style could increase the likelihood that a child will develop Histrionic Personality Disorder, although many researchers believe that Histrionic Personality Disorder is often caused by an interaction of environmental and genetic factors with childhood trauma also being a factor.

Ways to cope with histrionic personality symptoms include:

• Establishing consistent eating and sleeping schedules
  
• Exercising on a regular basis
  
• Avoiding drugs and alcohol
  
• Enlisting the help of trusted friends and family to keep you on track