by Tami Port MS

Created on: September 19, 2008   Last Updated: September 14, 2009

Many of us desire the admiration of others, but histrionic personalities have an unhealthy need for constant attention and engage in outrageous behavior to get it. To be histrionic is to behave melodramatically-over the top. People with the psychological disorder HPD, have a personality based on histrionic behavior; constantly displaying an excessive level of emotionality.

Histrionics crave the limelight and constantly seek attention and approval. They tend to dominate conversations using grandiose language and frequent interruptions. Those with HPD can be manipulative, seeing negative attention as being better than no attention at all (Dobbert 2007, Horowitz 2001).

* Diagnosis of Histrionic Personality Disorder *

There are currently 10 conditions considered to be personality disorders, some of which have very little in common. Mental health professionals typically group those PDs that share characteristics into one of three clusters. Histrionic is a Cluster B Personality Disorder, a class which also contains Antisocial, Borderline and Narcissistic PD; all three distinguished by dramatic, emotional or erratic behavior.

HPD is only diagnosed when the characteristic behaviors are pervasive and disabling. According to the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), a patient must fit at least five of the following criteria in order to be diagnosed with Histrionic Personality Disorder:

* uncomfortable in situations when not the center of attention
* social interactions often characterized by inappropriate sexually provocative behavior
* rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions
* consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to self
* style of speech that lacks detail and is excessively emotional
* shows self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expression of emotion
* easily influenced by others or circumstances
* considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are

* Prevalence of Histrionic Personality *

HPD has been estimated to occur in 2% to 3% of the general population and is more common among women than men (NESARC 2002).

* Cause and Course of Histrionic Personality *

While the exact cause is not yet known, the disorder is exacerbated during increased times of stress and interpersonal difficulties. As is the case with most personality disorders, Histrionic Personality Disorder usually begins in early adulthood, and has a chronic course (Dobbert 2007, Horowitz 2001).

* Treatment of Histrionic

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