Histrionic Personality Disorder

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Histrionic Personality Disorder
Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is a rarely diagnosed but thought to be one of the more common personality disorders. Individuals with this disorder are often excessively emotional and attention-seeking. They thrive on being the center of attention. “They commandeer the role of ‘life of the party’” (American Psychological Association, 2013, pg. 667). However, they tend to stay on the surface and lack much depth in their emotions and opinions and this can cause problems for them throughout their lives. It is important to understand the symptoms, etiology, course, prevalence, assessment and treatment of histrionic personality disorder before taking on a client, or working with this population.
Once known as hysteria, in Freud’s time, is now hysterical personality disorder or histrionic personality disorder. Histrionic personality is what is left of Freud’s popular diagnosis of hysteria. Today it is a personality disorder classified in cluster B of the personality disorders. Personality disorders, in general, are characterized as enduring patterns of inner experiences and behavior that deviates from the expectations of the individual’s culture in two or more areas which include cognition, affectivity, interpersonal functioning, and impulse control. The enduring pattern is inflexible and pervasive across a broad range of personal and social situations and the patterns lead to clinically significant impairment or distress (American Psychological Association, 2013). Cluster B personality disorders are the dramatic, emotional, and erratic personality disorders (American Psychological Association, 2013). These personality disorders are the ones that are most damaging to social and person...

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...personality-disorder/.
Carver, J. M. (2011, April 27). Personality disorders: The controllers, abusers, manipulators, and users in relationships. Retrieved from Counselling Resource: http://counsellingresource.com/lib/therapy/self-help/understanding/. Framingham, J. (2011). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Retrieved from
PsychCentral on December 7, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/minnesota- multiphasic-personality-inventory-mmpi/0005959. Framingham, J. (2011). Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-III). Retrieved from
PsychCentral on December 7, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/millon-clinical- multiaxial-inventory-mcmi-iii/0006106. Psych Central. (2013). Histrionic Personality Disorder Symptoms. Retrieved from PsychCentral on December 7, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/disorders/histrionic-personality-
disorder-symptoms/.

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