Exploring Histrionic Personality Disorder

Many people with histrionic personality disorder feel that creating a personal development plan is something that they are unable to do. However, this could not be further from the truth. It will take a little extra work, but you can work on yourself regardless of any challenges that you might face. In fact, working on a personal development plan can actually help you to cope with this personality disorder so that you can live a full life.

What is Histrionic Personality Disorder?

Many people have no heard of this personality disorder, but if you have it, having a solid definition will help you to create your personal development plan. This disorder usually starts to present itself during the time of late adolescence or during the early adulthood years. It can cause a person to have a number of character traits, which can include:
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• Being charming
• Being more seductive than the general population
• Being highly energetic
• Being highly emotional
• Being overly manipulative
• Being overly demanding
• Being highly impulsive

Experts tend to loosely define this condition as being focused on attention-seeking behavior. People with this disorder can do a number of things to try and get attention from others, including:

• Causing drama whenever the need for attention occurs
• Telling stories that are trumped up and exaggerated
• Interrupting conversations just to do it
• Talking loudly and being overly flirtatious
• Dressing seductively
• Playing the victim and creating situations to be a victim

What Causes this Disorder?

As of today, experts have not identified any solid causes of this disorder. There are a number of theories, including that people might be genetically predisposed to developing it. In the United States, it is estimated that approximately two to three percent of the population has histrionic personality disorder. However, many people are not diagnosed. Of those who have a diagnosis, women are diagnosed far more often than men. However, experts believe that many men living with this disorder have never sought a diagnosis.

Symptoms of this Disorder

When you are being evaluated for this disorder, your healthcare provider is looking for a mixture of symptoms. These include:

• Seductive dressing
• Overly concerned with physical appearance
• Blaming others for personal failures
• Low tolerance when gratification is delayed
• Overestimating the intimacy in your relationships
• Easily influenced by others
• Overly sensitive to criticism
• Constantly needing approval
• Attention seeking
• Shifting emotions

Diagnosing this Disorder

Mental health professionals will look at your symptoms and use this to make a diagnosis. They use the criteria set forth in the DSM-5 manual to make a diagnosis. This can be a difficult disorder to diagnose and it can take more than one visit with a mental health professional to get it. Be patient because having an accurate diagnosis is critical to proper treatment and creating an accurate plan.

Treating Histrionic Personality Disorder

When you are creating your personal development plan, it is important that it surrounds the treatment that you are prescribed by a mental health professional. Therapy is the primary treatment for this disorder and there are three types of therapy that your mental health professional might recommend. You might do well with just one or you might require a combination for effective treatment. The therapy types include:

• Talk therapy: This is a very common option and there are a number of therapies that fall under this umbrella. During this type of therapy, you will talk to a mental health professional and you should be honest and candid to ensure that your therapist understands your needs.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy: This is one of the most popular options for those with this disorder. It helps you to learn about the feelings, experiences and thoughts that are influencing your behavior. In most cases, this is started as a short-term therapy, but if it is effective, you can often do it long-term.
• Group therapy: This is an uncommon type of therapy for this disorder due to the attention seeking aspect. For some people it might actually make their condition worse. However, when it is used, it is used later in a person's recovery to help them practice social situations.

As you can see, having this personality disorder is not going to stop you from realizing your goals and dreams unless you allow it. As you can see, this disorder can be difficult to deal with, but with the right drive, treatment plan and attitude, you can live a full life. Your personal development plan should include following all necessary treatments so that you have what you need.

References:

http://www.healthyplace.com/personality-disorders/histrionic-personality-disorder/what-is-histrionic-personality-disorder/

http://mental-health-matters.com/what-is-histrionic-personality-disorder/