{"id":12747,"date":"2015-07-28T11:06:03","date_gmt":"2015-07-28T10:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=12747"},"modified":"2023-03-16T10:46:11","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T10:46:11","slug":"what-is-histrionic-personality-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-histrionic-personality-disorder.htm","title":{"rendered":"What is Histrionic Personality Disorder?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"what<\/a>

By: Alyssa L. Miller<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

A personality disorder<\/a><\/span> is a consistent and long-term pattern of thinking, behaving, and relating<\/strong> that leaves someone unable to match or manage<\/strong> the norms of the culture they are in.<\/p>\n

What is histrionic personality disorder?<\/h2>\n

Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) sees an individual living with an overwhelming need to constantly be the centre of attention,<\/strong> often using seductive and manipulative behaviour to achieve this. With their sense of esteem only coming from the approval of others, they tend to be dramatic and self-centred.<\/p>\n

Is it a real diagnosis, or should it come with warnings?<\/h2>\n

This diagnosis has a sordid past, growing out of the historical idea of calling emotional women ‘hysterical’. And it has been called out as a sexist diagnosis, most often applied to women over men. British psychologist Jessica Taylor, author of the bestselling book ‘Sexy by Psycho<\/span>‘, makes valid points on this front about women who lived through trauma having their symptoms then labeled as ‘disordered’ and used against them.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s also important not to assume that just because someone is an attention seeker or ‘drama addict’<\/u><\/a>\u00a0means they have histrionic personality disorder.<\/strong> A personality disorder is a diagnosis that is only made if the behaviour has existed since at least early adulthood and pervades most if not all areas of an individual’s life, causing them distress and confusion. Unlike many other personality disorders, though, those with HPD can be highly functioning with successful lives despite often often struggling with relationships.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

How common is histrionic personality disorder?<\/h2>\n

It’s thought that around 10% of the population suffers from a personality disorder of some sort. But there are no accurate or reliable figures of how many people in the UK suffer from histrionic personality disorder in particular.<\/p>\n

American statistics, however, claim that HPD affects up to three per cent of the general population, and up to 15 per cent of those attending mental health institutions.<\/p>\n

Histrionic personality disorder is known for affecting more women then men, with a suggested ratio of four women to every one male diagnosed. Interestingly, research also shows that HPD is usually found in those with an above-average appearance, making it the only personality disorder to be linked to physical attributes. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What are the symptoms of histrionic personality disorder?<\/h2>\n
\"symptoms<\/a>

By: DropTopGal Mang25<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Many of us will have experienced some of the below at some point in life. But for someone with a personality disorder, these markers are again consistent and across most areas of life <\/strong>since early adulthood. Symptoms can include:<\/p>\n