Explore the dance of drama: insights into histrionic personality disorder. Understand the thought process os a person with HPD and how to live with them.

I live with someone who has a histrionic personality. In effect, if she’s not the center of attention, then nobody is. She’s very dramatic in that way.

She wears many faces-narcissistic and is histrionic among them. The whole ball of wax so to speak. Don’t get me wrong, she really is a nice person. Just at times…

I hate to see what she’s like at work. She’s a waitress. Maybe the customer’s just think she’s very outgoing. In spite of, if she’s anything like at home, I don’t know.

The definition of histrionic personality disorder (HDP) is a mental health condition marked by unstable emotions, a distorted self-image and an overwhelming desire to be noticed.

Therefore, people with HPD often behave dramatically or inappropriately to get attention. The word “histrionic” means “dramatic or theatrical.”

For people with histrionic personality disorder, their self-esteem depends on the approval of others and doesn’t come from a true feeling of self-worth.

In essence, they have an overwhelming desire to be noticed and often behave dramatically or inappropriately to get attention.

Causes of Histrionic Personality Disorder

Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) is a complex condition, and its exact causes are not fully understood. However, several factors may contribute to the development of HPD, including:

• Genetic Factors: There may be a hereditary component, as personality disorders can run in families.
• Environmental Influences: Childhood experiences, such as excessive attention-seeking behavior being rewarded or neglect, can play a role. Traumatic events or inconsistent parenting may also contribute.
• Cultural Factors: Societal norms that emphasize appearance and social status may influence the development of HPD, particularly in cultures that prioritize these traits.
• Psychological Factors: Certain personality traits, such as high levels of emotionality and a tendency towards attention-seeking behaviors, may predispose individuals to develop HPD.
• Developmental Factors: Issues during critical developmental stages, such as difficulties in forming secure attachments or experiencing significant changes in family dynamics, may also be relevant.

It’s important to note that the development of personality disorders is often multifactorial, involving an interplay of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors.

Histrionic Personality Disorder Symptoms

The dance of drama: insights into histrionic personality disorder. In like manner, the main feature of histrionic personality disorder is displaying excessive, superficial emotionality and sexuality to draw attention to themselves.

A person with histrionic personality disorder may:

• Firstly, feel underappreciated or depressed when they’re not the center of attention.
• Have rapidly shifting and shallow emotions.
• Be dramatic and extremely emotionally expressive, even to the point of embarrassing friends and family in public.
• Fourthly, Have a “larger than life” presence.
• Be persistently charming and flirtatious.
• Be overly concerned with their physical appearance.
• Additionally, Use their physical appearance to draw attention to themselves by wearing bright-colored clothing or revealing clothing.
• Act inappropriately sexual with most of the people they meet, even when they’re not sexually attracted to them.
• Speak dramatically and express strong opinions but with few facts or details to support their opinions.
• In addition, Be gullible and easily influenced by others, especially by the people they admire.
• Think that their relationships with others are closer than they usually are.
• Have difficulty maintaining relationships, often seeming fake or shallow in their interactions with others.
• Need instant gratification and become bored or frustrated very easily.
• Lastly, Constantly seek reassurance or approval.

Characteristics of Histrionic Personality Disorder

The dance of drama: insights into histrionic personality disorder. Altogether, histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is a chronic condition that can be diagnosed by a medical professional. It’s characterized by a number of behaviors, including:

• Attention seeking. People with HPD may feel uncomfortable when they’re not the center of attention and may have a “larger than life” presence. They may also be persistently charming and flirtatious.
• Dramatic. People with HPD may be overly dramatic and emotional, and may express their emotions in a theatrical way. They may also talk dramatically with strong opinions.
• Shallow emotions. People with HPD may have emotions that appear to be shallow and change rapidly.
• Inappropriate interactions. People with HPD may interact with others in overly sexual, inappropriate, or provocative ways. They may also try to control their partner using seductiveness or emotional manipulation.
• Vague speech. People with HPD may speak impressionistically, vaguely, and lack detail.
• Overly concerned with appearance. People with HPD may be overly concerned with their looks and may consistently use their physical appearance to attract attention.
• Misperceptions. People with HPD may believe that relationships are more intimate than they actually are. They may also have difficulty achieving emotional or sexual intimacy.
• Sensitivity to criticism. People with HPD may be overly sensitive to criticism or disapproval.

Accordingly, other characteristics of HPD include being easily influenced by others or circumstances, and seeming lively, excitable, or impulsive. 

Many people with HPD are able to lead normal lives and function in society, but the disorder can affect their ability to maintain relationships, hold a job.

Also, stay focused on their goals. It can also increase the risk of depression and make it harder to handle failure and loss. 

Borderline and Histrionic Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) are both classified as Cluster B personality disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

While they share some similarities, they also have distinct characteristics. Here’s a comparison of the two:

Similarities:

Emotional Instability: Both disorders involve difficulties in regulating emotions, leading to intense emotional responses.

Interpersonal Challenges: Basically, individuals with either disorder may struggle with relationships, often experiencing intense but unstable connections with others.

Attention-Seeking Behavior: Both may exhibit behaviors aimed at gaining attention, though the motivations and manifestations can differ.

Impulsivity: Also, individuals with BPD and HPD may engage in impulsive or reckless behaviors, though this is more pronounced in BPD.

Differences:

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD):

Emotional Dysregulation: Individuals with BPD often experience extreme mood swings and intense emotions, including feelings of emptiness and fear of abandonment.

Self-Image Issues: All in all, people with BPD may have an unstable self-image or sense of self, leading to drastic changes in identity and self-worth.

Self-Harming Behaviors: Self-injury and suicidal behavior are more common in BPD.

Fear of Abandonment: As a result, there is often an intense fear of being abandoned or rejected, leading to frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.

Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD):

Attention-Seeking: Individuals with HPD are characterized by a pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking behavior, often needing to be the center of attention.

Theatricality: Overall, people with HPD may display exaggerated emotions and behaviors, often appearing overly dramatic or theatrical.

The dance of drama: insights into histrionic personality disorder. Basically, treatment for Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) typically involves psychotherapy, as there are no specific medications approved for the disorder itself.

Here are some common approaches to treatment:

1. Psychotherapy

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This approach helps individuals identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors. Chiefly, it can assist in developing healthier coping mechanisms and improving self-esteem.
• Psychodynamic Therapy: This form of therapy explores underlying emotional issues and past experiences that may contribute to the disorder. Nonetheless, it aims to increase self-awareness and understanding of emotions.
• Supportive Therapy: This involves providing encouragement and support while helping individuals navigate their emotions and relationships.

2. Group Therapy

• Participating in group therapy can provide individuals with a supportive environment to learn from others and develop social skills. It can also help reduce feelings of isolation.

3. Medication

• While there are no medications specifically for HPD, individuals may be prescribed antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications to address co-occurring symptoms, such as depression or anxiety.

4. Skill-Building

• Therapy may focus on developing interpersonal skills, emotional regulation, and coping strategies. Therefore, learning to express emotions in healthier ways can be beneficial.

5. Psychoeducation

• Educating the individual and their family about HPD can help improve understanding and support. Hence, this may involve discussing the nature of the disorder and strategies for managing symptoms.

6. Building Self-Esteem

• Therapy often focuses on enhancing self-esteem and fostering a more stable self-image, helping individuals feel more secure without relying heavily on external validation.

7. Addressing Relationship Issues

• At length, therapy can help individuals understand their relationship patterns and develop healthier ways of relating to others.

The dance of drama: insights into histrionic personality disorder. Treatment for HPD is tailored to the individual’s needs and may involve a combination of the above approaches.

Also, it is important for individuals with HPD to work with a qualified mental health professional. They can guide them through the therapeutic process and help them develop healthier coping mechanisms and interpersonal relationships.

Therefore, if you or someone you know is struggling with HPD, seeking professional help is a crucial step.

Relationship challenges when your partner has HPD

Behaviors that aim to get attention can sometimes cause conflict in a relationship if you don’t understand where they’re coming from.

Concurrently, underneath histrionic personality, there’s a wide range of intense emotions that cause the person great distress and emotional pain.

Some of the histrionic behaviors come from this emotionality that’s difficult for the person to manage.

Equally, if your partner is constantly seeking attention from everyone, it may make you wonder about the depth of your connection, or if they might one day go too far.

It’s natural to feel this way. But histrionic behaviors are often a facade and don’t necessarily mean your partner doesn’t love you or respect you.

The histrionic relationship cycle can be different in every relationship. It could involve self-sabotaging behaviors, like flirting or arguing, followed by efforts to regain your approval and attention.

Especially, if your partner lives with histrionic personality, they may push you away with their actions and then miss your attention when you take a step back.

You may also feel inclined to ignore some histrionic behaviors and then find out this increases your partner’s anxiety and urge to get close to you.

Here are a few challenges you may experience in a relationship with someone with a histrionic personality:

Flirting

At this point, the recurrent sexually provocative behaviors, like flirting, may be a significant challenge for some people in relationships with someone with a histrionic personality.

While this doesn’t necessarily mean your partner will inevitably be unfaithful, you could feel these behaviors still cross your relationship boundaries.

Being that, the DSM-5 indicates sexually provocative behavior in histrionic personality can be present even when your partner has no real romantic interest in another person.

The goal of histrionic behaviors is getting attention, not receiving affection, physical contact, or intimacy.

Arguments

The dance of drama: insights into histrionic personality disorder. Indeed, you may find that your histrionic partner may often shift from one emotional state to an opposite one.

Maybe some of these changes seem superficial or uncalled for to you. On some occasions, you may be dealing with emotional outbursts, sometimes in public places.

Even more. this unpredictable emotional aspect of a relationship with a histrionic personality can contribute to the frequency and intensity of endless arguments.

All of this may make you feel like ignoring someone with histrionic personality is the best thing for the relationship.

Instead, ignoring them may increase the likelihood of arguments when they become emotional about your attitude.

Dishonesty

A partner with histrionic personality disorder may take a “do what it takes” approach when it comes to gaining attention.

Furthermore, this can come in the form of embellishing stories or telling outright lies they feel will work to their advantage.

Witnessing your partner tell lies may be difficult and could make you doubt their honesty in the relationship.

But remember that some of these behaviors are looking to gain attention from others, not necessarily deceive them.

Manipulation

People with histrionic personality disorder may sometimes use manipulation tactics and behaviors to claim the attention they may feel they’re losing.

Dr. Holly Schiff, a licensed clinical psychologist from Connecticut, says partners with HPD will often seek to use emotional manipulation in relationships. Therefore, this may leave you confused and frustrated.

5 tips for dating someone with histrionic personality disorder

The dance of drama: insights into histrionic personality disorder. HPD is a mental health disorder that can impair daily life. It often requires the guidance of a therapist for symptoms to improve.

But that doesn’t mean that both partners can make an effort to make your relationship work. Empathy, patience, and trust can go a long way in supporting each other.

Remember, ignoring someone with histrionic personality disorder may be a natural reaction but it often isn’t what’s required in the situation.

Here are 5 tips to consider when dating someone living with HPD

1. Remaining calm

The extreme emotions that often come with a histrionic personality can cause knee-jerk reactions.

If your partner suddenly starts yelling at you, for example, you may naturally want to react to that.

Schiff recommends reminding yourself to be calm, above all else.

“Remaining calm is important,” she explains. Your histrionic partner may feel they need this drama to get the attention they long for.

By remaining calm and refusing to engage, you may help them realize that they won’t get the attention they are seeking by acting out, she advises. “Don’t reward their attention-seeking behavior.”

By the same token, abandoning them might also be counterproductive. You may want to express your emotions and confirm you still love them.

Then, try to explain that you won’t engage at the moment and prefer to discuss this problem later.

2. Communicating openly and directly

Communication is essential in any relationship, but may serve a more important role when your partner lives with HPD.

Antonino recommends communicating openly as a way of addressing all relationship conflicts.

Your partner with a histrionic personality may be more likely to be mindful of your feelings when you express your concerns and set clear boundaries and expectations with them directly and openly.

“Let your partner know if you’re not OK with this behavior,” says Antonino.

Hence, explaining how the behavior makes you feel and the possible consequences it may have may be more helpful than criticizing it.

Following a stranger to an apartment, he says, can be a sign of HPD’s suggestibility trait that may put your partner in a dangerous situation.

For the same reason, helping your partner become aware of the risks may help them think twice about following impulses.

3. Including your partner

The dance of drama: insights into histrionic personality disorder. Attention is a common motivator for histrionic behaviors. In a social setting, Antonino recommends taking a proactive approach to include your partner, which may help prevent them from feeling neglected.

If your partner looks uncomfortable, or you notice that people are moving away and onto other conversations, you can take the initiative and lead them to new social openings, for example.

This doesn’t mean you have to cater to their need for attention. Instead, consider this a way to protect your partner from situations that you know may hurt them.

Doing this may also prevent them from engaging in attention-seeking behaviors.

4. Taking time for yourself

Alone and self-care time may be important to you, particularly after an argument or emotionally draining situation.

“Knowing when to distance yourself is important, since it can be difficult and overwhelming to deal with histrionic behaviors. You deserve a break and time to care for yourself,” Schiff says.

Self-care can look like:

• spending some time with friends
• a walk in the park
• working out
• reading a book

In any event, it can be anything that brings you joy and fulfillment and promotes a sense of relaxation.

It’s important, though, that you let your partner know ahead of time when you plan to spend time away.

Particularly, try to explain this isn’t a reflection of how you feel or that you don’t want to engage with them.

5. Setting boundaries

Both Schiff and Antonino recommend setting clear relationship boundaries.

When you’re dating someone with HPD, clearly communicating boundaries can be especially important, notes Schiff.

This can look like saying, “I am not OK with…” and mentioning a specific behavior you rather they don’t engage in.

Overall, people with a histrionic personality typically have limited self-awareness and may sometimes overlook some of their potentially sabotaging behaviors.

Your partner may not always realize that their actions can hurt you, for example. So, letting them know can help.

Setting boundaries also let your partner know what they can expect from you when conflict arises.

In brief, this may help control reactions of shock, anger, or surprise if a boundary gets crossed.

Famous People With Histrionic Personality Disorder

Megan Fox

The dance of drama: insights into histrionic personality disorder. Meanwhile, people have labeled Fox as both a borderline and histrionic personality. Certainly, the two disorders can occur together.

Like many celebrities, Fox does seem to love being the center of attention. She also sports a tattoo of another famous person suspected of having had histrionic personality disorder: Marilyn Monroe.

Jessica Simpson

Notwithstanding, a newspaper based in India published a story by Citizen Journalist, Roberto Carlos, claiming Simpson shows all the signs of histrionic personality disorder.

“While people crave attention, there are others who crave for [sic] it in excess; sometimes people in reality TV shows,” quipped Carlos, “…Jessica Simpson…she received attention on the MTV Reality TV Show called “Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica” before she left Nick to seek better opportunities.”

Kim Kardashian

Her overly seductive dress, “accidentally” released self-made porn video, drama-filled romantic life, and seemingly insatiable hunger for attention make Kardashian a likely candidate for a histrionic diagnosis.

As of October 2014, Kardashian was still romantically involved with rap artist, Kanye West. Henceforth, the drama surrounding their relationship has been keeping fans up at night since they got together.

Miley Cyrus

Obviously, the once wholesome pre-teen star has become an oversexed, attention-stealing machine.

Her “Wrecking Ball” music video in which she appears completely nude fits the seductive dress (or undress) behavior.

In any case, she regularly appears at public events and personal social gatherings in overtly seductive attire and often behaves in a manner that can only be seen as desperately attention-seeking.

Sum It All Up

The dance of drama: insights into histrionic personality disorder. Regardless, some people might call histrionic personality disorder the “attention craving disorder” which is true.

They love any type of attention. If your in a relationship with a person who has HPD, just be cautious not to fall into their trap.

Therefore, stay ahead of the game so you don’t get sucked into their games. And you’ve found out that there are some celebrities who have HPD, so you know that it’s not inclusive.

The friend I live with can be a bit overbearing at times, but she is typically a good person. I just have to be aware of her “moments.” Until next time…

Articles About HPD

-Histrionic personality disorder test

https://www.reviveresearch.org/blog/histrionic-personality-disorder-test-signs-self-testing

-Histrionic Personality Disorder: What Is It?

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/histrionic-personality-disorder

-What’s the Difference Between Narcissistic and Histrionic Personality Disorders?

https://www.charliehealth.com/post/whats-the-difference-between-narcissistic-and-histrionic-personality-disorders#:~:text=People%20with%20NPD%20want%20attention,and%20on%20their%20own%20level.

Have a Good One,

Cindee Murphy, One Voice In The Vastness Of Emotions

“A sociopath may feel paranoid, possessive, and jealous. But, underneath those feelings is ultimately the fear of losing control over someone they own.”― Clarence T. Rivers

“I am the star of my own show, always craving attention and validation.”

“Hence, I feel empty inside unless I am the center of attention.”

“I fear abandonment and will do anything to avoid it.”

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