Histrionic personality disorder, sometimes shortened to HPD, is defined as a personality disorder that can be characterized by a series and/or pattern of excessive emotions and behavior...it can result in behavior that craves ‘look at me’ attention getting...the person with this malady may have an excessive need for approval...these people are usually over-lively, overly dramatic, over-enthusiastic, and over-vivacious...in other words, their behavior is ‘over the top’...it seems to affect women more than men for some reason...very little research has actually been done on HPD...it is said that about 3% of the general population is affected by it…(although, it seems like a lot more)... people with HPD have an above and beyond need for attention from other people...they often will be quite boisterous (a.k.a. obnoxious)...they may wear suggestive or odd clothing in order to draw attention to themselves, they are prone to exaggerate their emotions, and have an intense desire for stimulation... sometimes they may exhibit sexually provocative behavior to get attention...they may also have egocentrism, which basically means they feel the world revolves around them...they may engage in self-indulgence to try to quench their never-ending desires...they may have a continuous longing for appreciation and are upset if they don’t get it,, and may behave in a way of persistent manipulative behavior...all in a way to get their wants met...such as “If you don’t come over, I’m going to kill myself!”...they may feign illnesses to get attention...you’ve probably known a few of these people in your personal lives...they may not be full blown cases, but they exhibit some of the symptoms...medication is usually ineffective in treating HPD...often psychotherapy is recommended as a way to overcome it.
