histrionic personality disorder

histrionic personality disorder,

a disorder characterized by dramatic, reactive, and intensely exaggerated behavior, which is typically self-centered. It results in severe disturbance in interpersonal relationships that can lead to psychosomatic disorders, depression, alcoholism, and drug dependency. Symptoms include emotional excitability, such as irrational angry outbursts or tantrums; abnormal craving for activity and excitement; overreaction to minor events; manipulative threats and gestures; egocentricity; inconsiderateness; inconsistency; and continuous demand for reassurance generated by feelings of helplessness and dependency. A person with this disorder is perceived by others as vain, demanding, superficial, self-centered, and self-indulgent. The disorder is more prevalent in women than in men and is treated by various psychotherapies, depending on the individual and the severity of the condition. See also narcissistic personality disorder.

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histrionic personality disorder

Hysterical personality disorder Psychiatry A state characterized by '…pervasive and excessive emotionality and attention-seeking behavior', which begins by early adulthood, and is present in various contexts; HPD is diagnosed by the finding of 5 or more of a list of criteria

Histrionic Personality Disorder ≥ 5 criteria  

1. Person is uncomfortable unless he/she is center of attention

2. Interactions with others may be sexually inappropriate or provocative

3. Volatile and/or shallow emotions

4. Use of physical appearance to draw attention to self

5. Impressionistic speech pattern

6. Theatricality, exaggerated emotions

7. Suggestible, ie easily influenced by others

8. Regards relationships as more intimate than they are

Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed, Washington, DC, Am Psychiatric Assn, 1994