His entrance to the company Christmas party was carefully timed so that he was the last to arrive. From his red silk top hat to his patent leather shoes with red and green Christmas bells affixed to the toes, he was a cross between a finely adorned peacock and a male recruited to dance with the Rocketts. As his lips lightly touched the outstretched hands of more than one willing female, he gave a seductive wink that would have made even Clark Gable seem dull and boring. Flamboyantly throwing the scarlet lined cape over his shoulder made him the focus of attention. The ensuing hush of the crowd seemed to excite and encourage him further while he theatrically spoke several memorized lines in French. Any reciprocal display of attention and affection by the women at the party was perceived by him as coming from passionately starved potential mistresses. This was not a once a year performance designed to entertain co-workers but instead a pervasive lifestyle with a Christmas theme.
Men and women with Histrionic Personality Disorders live in an exaggerated emotional world demanding attention to give meaning to their lives. Going beyond mere flamboyance and a flair for the dramatic those with Histrionic Personality Disorders live as if they were always on center stage. Often seen as “fake” or shallow, they experience a blur between fantasy and reality when under stress.
The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders describes the Histrionic Personality Disorder in the following manner:
A pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
They are uncomfortable in situations when not the center of attention.
Their interaction with others is often characterized by inappropriate, sexually seductive or provocative behavior.
They are prone to exhibit shallow expressions of emotion which shift rapidly.
They often use physical appearance to get attention.
Their style of speech is frequently impressionistic and shallow.
They display self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expression of emotion.
They are very suggestible and easily influenced by others or situations.
They often over estimate intimacy in relationships.
Although difficult to effectively treat, psychotherapy is usually the treatment of choice. Two excellent resources for understanding more about and treating this disorder are: The New Personality Self-Portrait: Why You Think, Work, Love and Act the Way You Do by John M. Oldman and Lois B. Morris, Bantam Books, 1995, and website
http://mentalhelp.net/disorders.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 2000
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