Personality disorders are not as rare as one might think. They are characterized by a thirst for attention, inappropriate behavior and a desire to stand out. You can read more about the hysterical personality type and how to treat this disorder in this article.
Personality disorders
To fully understand the essence of the hysterical type, you need to start from the very beginning, namely, with the definition of the concept of "personality". What it is? Personality is a model of behavior, thoughts and emotions, unique qualities that are inherent in a particular person. It is the personality that is formed as a result of a long process of development and socialization of a person, and it is she who helps to build relationships with other people and determines human destiny. But sometimes the personality is formed incorrectly, and as a result, a person develops deeply ingrained and unhe althy ways of thinking that lead to a deterioration in relationships with other people.
Recently, personality disorder has had a different name. Causes of "constitutional psychopathy"considered incurable neurological pathologies. However, personality disorders are so diverse that doctors have changed their point of view and came to the conclusion that both a genetic predisposition and adverse conditions in childhood, as well as stressful situations, can be the cause. There are 10 disorders in total, but they are largely similar to each other:
- Cluster A includes eccentric disorders, including schizoid and paranoid.
- Cluster B includes dramatic and disorderly disorders, including narcissistic and borderline personality disorder.
- Cluster C includes anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive and addictive disorders.
The first signs of the disorder appear only in adolescence or adulthood. Many people know how a hysterical woman behaves, but not everyone knows that in some cases this is not a whim, but a disease. What is Histrionic Personality Disorder?
What is a hysterical personality type
Hysterical disorder is also called dramatic or theatrical because patients with this problem are prone to excessive drama, theatrical affectation and exaggeration of their feelings. The behavior of people with this personality disorder is far from normal: they want to be the center of attention in a group of other people and are ready to do anything to achieve what they want. Naturally, people with a personality disorder do not socialize well, they rarely have personal relationships, and all friends and family eventuallyturn away from them because of inappropriate behavior. It is not uncommon for patients with histrionic personality disorder to repress problems and "escape" into the illness, displaying real and imagined symptoms.
Often such people can be very interesting and lively, they reach special heights in narrow circles - for example, in a theatrical environment in which such behavior is acceptable. But in personal relationships and with emotional closeness, they may experience difficulties. They often seek to manipulate their partners and play a certain role (for example, "victims" or "princesses"). Also, hysterical people often engage in sexually seductive or provocative behavior to draw attention to themselves.
Causes of disorder
The hysterical personality type in men and women manifests itself in the same way. However, researchers have not yet determined what exactly causes it. Most professionals believe that the causes are related to various biological, social and genetic factors:
- Heredity and chronic diseases, including mental ones.
- Early childhood interactions with family and others.
- Childhood stress levels and ability to cope.
- Temperament of personality.
- Traumatic events.
No single factor can be the only reason for the development of a hysterical state. Most likely, this violation occurs due to a combination of several conditions.
Increasing desire to benoticed
A personality disorder is an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that differs from other people's norms and cultures. This, as a rule, leads to significant problems in all areas of a person's life: work, personal, etc. The pattern of behavior is quite stable and can be traced throughout life.
Onset usually occurs in adolescence or adulthood. A close relationship with the patient can be a real hell for the second person. A person with a hysterical personality type requires constant attention to himself, while he cannot do routine things and wants to get immediate results in all areas of life. As a result, he constantly manipulates, resents, quarrels and emotionally affects his partner or loved ones in any way possible. But one should not assume that he himself enjoys it - he simply cannot live differently.
Hysterical seizures are frequent companions of personality disorder. They allow not only to attract attention, but also to throw out the accumulated tension.
Symptoms
It is quite difficult for a non-specialist to distinguish pathological deviations from character traits or temperament. In order to suspect mental disorders, close contact and psychological education are needed. Because most people with a personality disorder do not have close, trusting relationships, they rarely get help from professionals. In the meantime, the sooner the cause of a person's strange behavior is determined, the more help can be provided to him.
Here are the main symptoms of a personality disorder that may indicate pathological changes:
- The patient dresses provocatively and acts sexually on purpose. Sometimes this can interfere not only with love relationships, but also with friendship, as a person can address deliberate sexuality to everyone indiscriminately.
- People with hysterical disorder tend to spend too much time on their appearance. Sometimes they have a completely unrealistic and disconnected image of themselves, as a result of which, for example, they can constantly get plastic surgery or dress strangely, thus deliberately drawing attention to themselves.
- A person has a desire to be the main object of attention. Such people want no other interesting personalities besides them in the lives of other people. They know that if they get attention, they can get what they want.
- These people are easily influenced. When dealing with a personality disorder, this factor can become a significant problem. Any person who appears in the field of attention of the patient can have an impact on him, and it is far from always positive.
- They feel uncomfortable with insufficient attention.
- Display impulsiveness, do spontaneous things that can't always be rationalized, show emotional instability, throw tantrums for no reason.
- The behavior of such a person is often unnatural, the voice is loud, and the movements are abrupt.
- There is unreasonable aggression. Aggression in psychology is something that is contrary to generally accepted norms.
Personality disorders can vary in severity, so the intensity of symptoms can also vary.
Diagnosis
Personality disorders are only diagnosed by a qualified mental he alth professional. It can be either a psychologist or a psychiatrist. Therapists and general practitioners, as a rule, do not have sufficient knowledge to distinguish a normal hysterical seizure from a mental illness. If you want to get free help, you can first contact your general practitioner and then get a referral from him to see a specialist. There are currently no genetic or laboratory tests that can be used to diagnose the disease.
Many people with mental disorders do not seek treatment on their own and avoid it at all costs. Only when changes in the psyche begin to seriously interfere with a person's life, he can consult a doctor. But often, by this time, the patient's resources are already so depleted that he cannot cope with stress and life's troubles on his own.
The diagnosis of a mental disorder is made by a specialist after he studies the medical history and compares the symptoms with the classical picture of the disease. There are also special tests that determine the presence of a hysterical type of personality disorder in children and adults. They allow you to slightly clarify the situation and more accurately establish the diagnosis. Butmental tests cannot be the sole or primary basis for a diagnosis.
Drugs
Treatment of a personality disorder usually includes comprehensive measures that are aimed at eliminating symptoms and normalizing the patient's condition and well-being. The main method is considered psychotherapy, which can take many years. But in addition to this, medications can also be prescribed, which usually serve to eliminate the symptoms of histrionic personality disorder. Appointments are made personally for each patient, depending on the picture of his disease. For example, sleeping pills may be prescribed for people suffering from insomnia. For some patients, doctors prescribe sedatives and sedatives to help reduce anxiety.
Hysterical behavior cannot be cured with drugs alone. The work to eliminate the disorder can take many years, and the success of treatment depends mainly on the qualifications of the specialist and the motivation of the patient. Doctors rarely divulge drug regimens, as in some cases they can be used for self-destructive and harmful effects on the body of patients.
Psychotherapy
The hysterical personality type in psychology is distinguished by egocentrism and self-obsession. This is where the lack of empathy and the inability to empathize with another person come from. Such people are often aggressive not only towards others, but also towards themselves. Aggression in psychology is a destructivebehavior that is contrary to generally accepted norms and brings physical or moral harm to people. In fact, the behavior of people with a hysterical type of disorder is aggression. It is rarely expressed directly, but it is always felt by people who have come into close contact with patients. The behavior of such people causes bewilderment and rejection among others. The main method for the treatment of personality disorders is psychotherapy.
People with this disorder are usually difficult to treat. They come to the doctor only as a last resort - when life literally leaves them no other choice. Treatment can be based on a short-term approach that aims not for long-term change, but for momentary relief of the patient's life difficulties. This is due to the fact that people with a mental personality disorder rarely have the ability to wait for a delayed effect from therapy and simply stop it if there is no pronounced result.
Self Help
Self-help with frustration does not bring any result. Also, there are no anonymous groups that would support people with similar problems. Even if you find such a community, it is unlikely that such sessions will be effective enough due to the nature of the course of the disease. Since people with hysterical personality disorder are too dramatic, everyone in group meetings will try to draw attention to themselves, not paying attention to others. Therefore, the best form fortreatment is a personal consultation with a psychotherapist. Also, experts recommend refusing family consultations, as in this case, communication will not be constructive.
Features of the disorder
Hysteria is a rather dangerous mental illness, which is often characterized by suicidal tendencies. The hysterical personality type in women manifests itself in the form of overly pronounced sexuality, in some cases - nymphomania, theatricality and attempts to draw attention to their person. The same is observed in male patients.
In children, the hysterical personality type is not diagnosed, since this disease manifests itself only at the end of adolescence or in adulthood. A child is a personality that has not yet been formed, so it is incorrect to talk about disorders of something that is only improving and changing. Children are prone to tantrums and some deviations in behavior, and these problems should certainly be corrected by a specialist psychologist, but they have nothing to do with the hysterical type of disorder.
Facts
If someone close to you has a hysterical personality type, then it will be useful for you to know some facts about this disease:
- Psychotherapy, medications, and alternative therapies can work together to provide a healing effect and significantly reduce the symptoms of the disorder. But the treatment for this must be regular and long-term, only in this case it will bring the desired result.
- Different types of disorders can manifest themselves differently in society. For example, some patients may hold fairly high positions at work, but still fail in personal relationships.
- These disorders are more common in women than in men.
- Hysterical personality type is a disorder in which a person shows excessive emotions, seeks attention, behaves provocatively and constantly gets involved in conflicts in personal relationships.
- Childhood events (death, parental divorce, abuse) can lead to personality disorders.
- People with the problems described tend to exaggerate the good attitude of others towards them and attribute more importance to friendships than they really are.
Results
Hysterical personality disorder is a very painful mental illness that causes a lot of problems not only to others, but also to the patient himself. It is characterized by a high level of anxiety, numerous conflicts and contradictions. Such people tend to deliberately look for dangerous situations and get involved in various adventures.
Not all of them can suspect the presence of the disease, so they often do not resort to treatment. However, an experienced specialist with the help of a personal examination, conversation and mental tests will be able to quickly diagnose and prescribe treatment. The only effective method at the moment is psychotherapy, which can take a long time. But with the help of it, the patient will be able to get rid of painful symptoms and throughfeel much better for a while.
