Histrionic personality disorder – Causes and Treatments

What is Histrionic personality disorder?

Categorised as dramatic, emotional or erratic people, histrionic personality disorder can make a person have a distorted mental image of themself. Histrionic personality disorder is a mental health condition characterised by unstable and intense emotions that can make a person have a distorted self-image.

For people with this mental health condition, their self-esteem relies mainly upon the approval of others and doesn’t arise with self-worth.

A histrionic personality disorder is a minor part of a larger group of mental health conditions called cluster B personality disorders. This disorder creates a need to be noticed and leads to many dramatic antics from people.

Who is more prone to histrionic personality disorder?

HPD usually begins during the late teenage or early 20s. Usually, females are more commonly diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder than males.

How to recognise the signs and symptoms of histrionic personality disorder?

Histrionic personality disorder is not a severe mental health condition, but it can affect how a person carries themself through society and at work. Usually, people with this mental health disorder have excellent interpersonal skills. However, they might use their skills to manipulate others.

The main feature of this disorder is displaying too much emotion to draw attention to themself. Some of the symptoms exhibited by an individual with HPD are as follows.

• Feeling uncomfortable in situations when they are not the centre of attention.

• Displays quick shifting expressions of emotions

• Consistently using physical contact to draw attention to oneself.

• Considering the relationship to be more intimate.

• Others can easily influence them.

• Feeling underappreciated or depressed when they are not given enough attention.

• Have a larger-than-life presence.

• Instant gratification

• Consistently seeking reassurance or approval from others and discarding their self-worth.

What are the causes of histrionic personality disorder?

The exact cause of various mental health disorders remains a mystery, just like how the exact cause of histrionic personality disorder is unknown. Experts believe environmental and genetic factors are crucial in developing mental health disorders.

In other words, people believe that inherited and learned factors play an essential role in developing this mental health disorder.

Along with other personality disorders, histrionic personality disorders remain the least understood mental health condition.

Various studies conducted on people with mental health conditions have led to tracing several factors that can cause the development of histrionic personality disorders. The factors include

Genetics

Genetics plays an important role in developing mental health disorders, and histrionic personality disorders usually run in families, so there might be a genetic link in this mental health concern.

Parenting style

Children who may experience a parenting style that involves self-indulgent and inconsistent parents who lack boundaries can more likely be linked to developing a histrionic personality disorder.

Similarly, parents who display extreme emotions and inappropriate sexual behaviour in front of their children can risk developing this mental health condition.

Childhood trauma

Childhood trauma like child abuse or the death of a family member that can later cause problems in their life and become a part of a personality disorder.

How is a histrionic personality disorder diagnosed?

The personality of a person continues to evolve throughout childhood and during the adolescent period. Due to this biological factor, health care providers do not diagnose a person with histrionic personality disorder until 18.

Histrionic personality disorder can be challenging to diagnose as most people with a personality disorder often neglect that as a problem and normalise their behaviour or their way of thinking.

Usually, such people seek help for conditions like depression or anxiety that cause problems in relationships or work.

A mental health professional will often question someone who gives them information about their past relationships, work experience, reality testing or impulse control.

If a person is suspected of having a histrionic personality disorder, they may lack awareness of their behaviour and can ask for information from a person’s family and friends.

There is no specific test that can be used to diagnose HPD. If a person is troubled with their symptoms, they need to seek medical attention so that the primary care provider will begin by examining the medical history.

It is done to eliminate any physical problems that can be the source of the symptom. If a primary care provider doesn’t find a physical cause for the symptoms, they will suggest a psychiatrist to recognise and treat the physiological disorder.

A psychiatrist will use questions to get a clear understanding of the history of a person’s behaviour and assess them with the help of the primary care provider to diagnose any mental health condition that requires treatment or therapy.

However, most people suffering from this condition believe they require no therapy, making diagnosis difficult. Most people with HPD go for treatment because they experience anxiety or depression leading to a failed relationship or personal conflict.

Treatment of histrionic personality disorder

Primarily people with this mental health condition believe that their behaviours are normal and do not cause any problems.

Their tendency to exaggerate their feelings can make it difficult for them to follow a treatment plan. However, they might seek help if they feel depressed.

The treatment is broadly categorised into two types, namely psychotherapy and medications.

Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, is a treatment for histrionic or other disorders. The main objective of the treatment is to help a person cover their motivation and fears associated with their behaviour and help them learn to cope with their condition more positively.

Some of the other psychotherapy that can help people with histrionic personality disorders are

Group therapy

Group therapy is a type of psychotherapy where a group of people meet and describe their problems together under the supervision of a psychologist.

Group therapy can be a helpful tool as it can help a person with HPD look at how their behaviour reflects on them, which can help them understand the need for treatment.

Cognitive behavioural therapy

Cognitive behavioural therapy is a structured, goal-oriented type of therapy where a psychologist can help a person take a closer look at the thoughts and emotions they go through.

A person can learn the harmful practices of having negative thoughts or displaying negative behaviour through cognitive behavioural therapy and adopt healthier thinking patterns.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy

Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a therapy that emphasises the psychological roots of the emotional suffering of a person through self-reflection or self-examination. This can help a person understand the reason causing the disorder and help them overcome their emotions.

Support therapy

Support therapy is a type of therapy that aims to improve the symptoms or maintain self-esteem and develop coping skills for a person who has patterns of personality disorders.

Medications

If a person experiences anxiety or depression due to HPD, then a primary care provider prescribes antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication to manage the symptoms.

What are the risk factors associated with a histrionic personality disorder?

As mentioned above, mental health disorders have no exact cause. Various sources route to causing mental health problems. Some of the main factors that can increase the chances of getting HPD are

• Genetics
• Parenting style
• Environment
• Childhood trauma and psychiatric disorders.

To sum up

The personality of a person continues to evolve throughout childhood and during the adolescent period. If a person is suspected of having a histrionic personality disorder, they may lack awareness of their behaviour. The treatment is broadly categorised into two types, namely psychotherapy and medications.

FAQs