# HISTRIONIC



## lalaland (Mar 22, 2008)

Hi all. Has anyone here by chance recovered from this personality disorder or know anyone who has and how they did it? Someone I know has it and I just wanted to see some light at the end of the tunnel for them if I could. Thankyou


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## clairethecat (Aug 7, 2008)

Are you talking about histrionic behaivour, or the full blown personality disorder?

I have personal experiences with histrionic behaivour and I've improved quite a lot... I'm not sure if I could help at all..

What questions did you have? Just how to cure it? Because I'm pretty sure it's different for each individual.


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## AntiSocial (Jul 12, 2008)

what is histrionic


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## clairethecat (Aug 7, 2008)

AntiSocial said:


> what is histrionic


Attention seeking, overly sexual, that kind of thing. It's usually shown in victims of child abuse or sexual abuse, also children of broken marraiges can develop histrionic tendancies.

Look it up on wikipedia, they can explain better than I can.


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## lalaland (Mar 22, 2008)

clairethecat said:


> Are you talking about histrionic behaivour, or the full blown personality disorder?
> 
> I have personal experiences with histrionic behaivour and I've improved quite a lot... I'm not sure if I could help at all..
> 
> What questions did you have? Just how to cure it? Because I'm pretty sure it's different for each individual.


Um, I guess the actual full blown personality disorder. If you don't mind answering what were your behaviours and how have they imporved? That'd be a great help, thank you


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## Guest (Nov 28, 2008)

I have had experience with two hiseronic individuals-my mum being one of them.

They tend to be very attention seeking.They are very competitive,they take on/steal your best personality features and use them as their self.They are quite exploitive to get their point across even if it means hurting others sometimes-they will humiliate and hurt you or even lie about you if they see you as a threat in a competitive way.They suffer from jealousy alot.They can be be very overdramatic alsver dramatic displays of emotion.And yes they can be very overtly sexual.

Im not judgeing them ,thats just been my experience with two of them.

Cut and pasted;

*Basics of HPD.
A pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

is uncomfortable in situations in which he or she is not the center of attention 
interaction with others is often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior 
displays rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions 
consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to self 
has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail 
shows self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expression of emotion 
is suggestible, i.e., easily influenced by others or circumstances 
considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are
Researchers have found that HPD appears primarily in men and women with above-average physical appearances. Some research has suggested that the connection between HPD and physical appearance holds for women rather than for men. Both women and men with HPD express a strong need to be the center of attention. Individuals with HPD exaggerate, throw temper tantrums, and cry if they are not the center of attention. Patients with HPD are naive, gullible, have a low frustration threshold, and strong dependency needs.

Description

A condition with onset at or before adolescence characterized by persistent patterns of dysfunctional behavior (excessive emotionality & attention seeking) deviating from one's culture and social environment that lead to functional impairment and distress to the individual and those who have regular interaction with the individual. 
Behaviors are perceived by the patient to be "normal" and "right" and they have little insight as to their responsibility for these behaviors. 
Condition is classified based on the predominant symptoms and their severity. 
Cluster B Personality Disorder (inclusive of antisocial, borderline, histrionic and narcissistic personality disorders) characterized by a pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking, present in a variety of contexts (5 or more symptom patterns to diagnose) (1C): 
Shows self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expressions of emotion 
Is suggestible, i.e., easily influenced by others or circumstances 
Uncomfortable when not center of attention 
Interaction with others is often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive behavior 
Rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotion 
Draws attention through physical appearance 
Has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacks detail 
Considers relationships more intimate than they are (1C)

Causes
There is a lack of research on the causes of HPD. Even though the causes for the disorder are not definitively known, it is thought that HPD may be caused by biological, developmental, cognitive, and social factors.

NEUROCHEMICAL/PHYSIOLOGICAL CAUSES. Studies show that patients with HPD have highly responsive noradrenergic systems, the mechanisms surrounding the release of a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that communicate impulses from one nerve cell to another in the brain, and these impulses dictate behavior. The tendency towards an excessively emotional reaction to rejection, common among patients with HPD, may be attributed to a malfunction in a group of neurotransmitters called catecholamines. (Norepinephrine belongs to this group of neurotransmitters.)

DEVELOPMENTAL CAUSES. Psychoanalytic theory, developed by Freud, outlines a series of psychosexual stages of development through which each individual passes. These stages determine an individual's later psychological development as an adult. Early psychoanalysts proposed that the genital phase, Freud's fifth or last stage of psychosexual development, is a determinant of HPD. Later psychoanalysts considered the oral phase, Freud's first stage of psychosexual development, to be a more important determinant of HPD. Most psychoanalysts agree that a traumatic childhood contributes towards the development of HPD. Some theorists suggest that the more severe forms of HPD derive from disapproval in the early mother-child relationship.

Another component of Freud's theory is the defense mechanism. Defense mechanisms are sets of systematic, unconscious methods that people develop to cope with conflict and to reduce anxiety. According to Freud's theory, all people use defense mechanisms, but different people use different types of defense mechanisms. Individuals with HPD differ in the severity of the maladaptive defense mechanisms they use. Patients with more severe cases of HPD may utilize the defense mechanisms of repression, denial, and dissociation.

Repression. Repression is the most basic defense mechanism. When patients' thoughts produce anxiety or are unacceptable to them, they use repression to bar the unacceptable thoughts or impulses from consciousness. 
Denial. Patients who use denial may say that a prior problem no longer exists, suggesting that their competence has increased; however, others may note that there is no change in the patients' behaviors. 
Dissociation. When patients with HPD use the defense mechanism of dissociation, they may display two or more personalities. These two or more personalities exist in one individual without integration. Patients with less severe cases of HPD tend to employ displacement and rationalization as defenses. 
Displacement occurs when a patient shifts an affect from one idea to another. For example, a man with HPD may feel angry at work because the boss did not consider him to be the center of attention. The patient may displace his anger onto his wife rather than become angry at his boss. 
Rationalization occurs when individuals explain their behaviors so that they appear to be acceptable to others.
BIOSOCIAL LEARNING CAUSES. A biosocial model in psychology asserts that social and biological factors contribute to the development of personality. Biosocial learning models of HPD suggest that individuals may acquire HPD from inconsistent interpersonal reinforcement offered by parents. Proponents of biosocial learning models indicate that individuals with HPD have learned to get what they want from others by drawing attention to themselves.

SOCIOCULTURAL CAUSES. Studies of specific cultures with high rates of HPD suggest social and cultural causes of HPD. For example, some researchers would expect to find this disorder more often among cultures that tend to value uninhibited displays of emotion.

PERSONAL VARIABLES. Researchers have found some connections between the age of individuals with HPD and the behavior displayed by these individuals. The symptoms of HPD are long-lasting; however, histrionic character traits that are exhibited may change with age. For example, research suggests that seductiveness may be employed more often by a young adult than by an older one. To impress others, older adults with HPD may shift their strategy from sexual seductiveness to a paternal or maternal seductiveness. Some histrionic symptoms such as attention-seeking, however, may become more apparent as an individual with HPD ages.

Associated Conditions

Depression 
Anxiety disorders 
Panic disorder 
Somatization disorders 
Body dysmorphic disorder (strong emphasized on physical appearance) 
Anorexia 
Post traumatic stress disorder including dissociative disorders 
substance abuse 
Other psychiatric disorders in patient and family members.
Diagnosis
DSM IV Criteria 
Diagnostic Code: 301.50 
The diagnosis of HPD is complicated because it may seem like many other disorders, and also because it commonly occurs simultaneously with other personality disorders. The 1994 version of the DSM introduced the criterion of suggestibility and the criterion of overestimation of intimacy in relationships to further refine the diagnostic criteria set of HPD, so that it could be more easily recognizable. Prior to assigning a diagnosis of HPD, clinicians need to evaluate whether the traits evident of HPD cause significant distress. (The DSMrequires that the symptoms cause significant distress in order to be considered a disorder.) The diagnosis of HPD is frequently made on the basis of an individual's history and results from unstructured and semi-structured interviews.

Signs and symptoms

Distress, excessive emotionality (2C) 
Impairment of social and/or occupational functioning(2C) 
Not due to direct physiological effects of substance abuse, drug abuse, medication use or general medical conditions.
DSM-IV-TRlists eight symptoms that form the diagnostic criteria for HPD:

Center of attention: Patients with HPD experience discomfort when they are not the center of attention. 
Sexually seductive: Patients with HPD displays inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behaviors towards others. 
Shifting emotions: The expression of emotions of patients with HPD tends to be shallow and to shift rapidly. 
Physical appearance: Individuals with HPD consistently employ physical appearance to gain attention for themselves. 
Speech style: The speech style of patients with HPD lacks detail. Individuals with HPD tend to generalize, and when these individuals speak, they aim to please and impress. 
Dramatic behaviors: Patients with HPD display self-dramatization and exaggerate their emotions. 
Suggestibility: Other individuals or circumstances can easily influence patients with HPD. 
Overestimation of intimacy: Patients with HPD overestimate the level of intimacy in a relationship

*


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