Histrionic Personality Disorder: More Than Just Being Dramatic

Sometimes, it seems as if there are some people in our lives who fit that criterion pretty accurately, and histrionic personality disorder is actually one of the more common personality disorders, but overall it affects an estimate of 2 to 3 percent of the population. It’s not always an overtly negative condition—individuals with histrionic personality disorder can often have good social skills and excel in the workplace. However, they often use these social skills to manipulate others by acting in such a way that keeps the focus always on themselves in social situations. A diagnosis of histrionic personality disorder is based on a psychiatric evaluation and observation of the patient’s appearance, behavior and family history. Behavior that is characteristic of histrionic personality disorder includes excessive and quickly shifting emotional displays, oversensitivity to criticism, constant approval-seeking and need to be the center of attention, inappropriately provocative appearance/behavior, being easily influenced, compulsivity, believing relationships to be more intimate than they are, and low delay of gratification. This kind of dynamic behavior can help people go far in some environments, but it can also hinder their relationships and contribute to neuroticism. Individuals with histrionic personality disorder can be self-centered and shallow with significant others and they might respond with amplified negative affect to conflicts in their relationships. Little is known about the cause of histrionic personality disorder and there are few research studies on treatment. Like all disorders, it’s likely influenced by both genetics and environment. A genetic family history of histrionic personality disorder might be partially responsible as well as potentially traumatic childhood events like divorce or death in the family. Psychoanalytic theory suggests that growing up with an authoritarian attitude specifically contributes to this disorder. Treatment for histrionic personality disorder usually consists of therapy to help the patient explore unresolved conflicts or to address negative thought patterns and change negative behaviors.