Histrionic Personality Disorder and Receiving Social Security Disability
Personality disorder is a sweeping term that is used to designate a type of mental illness where the manner in which you perceive situations, relate to others and the ways in which you think are dysfunctional. As you might guess, there are many different, specific kinds of personality disorders. A personality disorder is characterized by a rigid and potentially self-denigrating or self-destructive way of thinking and behaving without regard for what the situation is. This results in hurting your ability to carry out routine functions at school, work or social situations. It causes distress in your life. You may or may not know that you have a personality disorder. This is due to thinking that the way in which you think and act is normal. You may think that others are to blame for your circumstances. Nearly 15% of adults in the United States have some kind of personality disorder. This means that over 30 million Americans have some type of personality disorder. Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is one of these types of personality disorder. It is characterized by a pattern of excessive attention-seeking and emotionality. This includes an excessive need for approval and inappropriate seductiveness, which usually beginning in early adulthood. People with histrionic personality disorder are dramatic, lively, flirtatious and enthusiastic. They may express strong emotions with an impressionistic style, be inappropriately sexually provocative and be easily influenced by others. It is estimated that 2% to 3% of the general population has histrionic personality disorder. Women have this disorder more frequently than men. There are several symptoms and signs that may be an indication of histrionic personality disorder. Some of these are:- Constantly wanting approval or reassurance
- Emotions that change quickly, which can give the appearance of being shallow to others
- Being overly emotional and dramatic
- Looking or acting overly seductive
- Self-centeredness (needing to be the center of attention)
- Being easily influenced by others
- Putting the blame on others for your disappointments or failures
- Having a low tolerance for delayed gratification or frustration
- A believe that relationships are more intimate than they really are
- Being overly sensitive to disapproval or criticism
- Being overly concerned about the looks of others.
