Kool Aid for the Masses
We all have one, that one family member who makes you cringe at the mention of their name, you know the one I'm talking about. For me that person is my sister. She hasn't ever been what I would consider "stable" but over the last five months she has rapidly declined. She got married, her husband left for the Army and she has settled into a
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Thing One: Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking, including an excessive need for approval and inappropriate seductiveness, usually beginning in early adulthood.
The essential feature of histrionic personality disorder is an excessive pattern of emotionality and attention-seeking behavior. These individuals are lively, dramatic, enthusiastic, and flirtatious. They may be inappropriately sexually provocative, express strong emotions with an impressionistic style, and be easily influenced by others.
(Although she exhibits more of the common symptoms of males rather than females)
and...
Thing Two: In Münchhausen Syndrome, the affected person exaggerates or creates symptoms of illnesses in themselves in order to gain investigation, treatment, attention, sympathy, and comfort from medical personnel. In some extremes, people suffering from Münchhausen's Syndrome are highly knowledgeable about the practice of medicine, and are able to produce symptoms that result in multiple unnecessary operations. For example, they may inject a vein with infected material, causing widespread infection of unknown origin, and as a result cause lengthy and costly medical analyses and prolonged hospital stay. The role of "patient" is a familiar and comforting one, and it fills a psychological need in people with Münchhausen's. It is distinct from hypochondria in that patients with Münchhausen Syndrome are aware that they are exaggerating, while sufferers of hypochondria actually believe they have a disease.
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HPD usually present problems of identity crisis, disturbed relationships, and lack of impulse control. They have antisocial tendencies and are inclined to exploit physical symptoms as a method of false control. These people are emotionally immature (although they tend to believe the exact opposite), dramatic (although many are adapt to covering it up), and shallow (although they tend to believe their feelings are so deep that no other single person could ever understand). People with HPD tend to be very introspective and create a false sense of reality effectively convincing themselves of whatever they need to believe in order to remain emotionally unattached from anything/anyone. They shift between periods of isolation and those of extreme social conquest (each shift can last a matter of days to periods lasting several years). They may require isolated retreats in order to obtain a comfortable level of understanding and acceptable functioning. They tend to have trouble keeping lengthy friendships afloat as their paranoia (real and imagined) may eventually lead to a near complete and permanent disposal of all interpersonal relationships at a given time effectively eliminating any emotional responsibility and accountability for their manipulative ways.
They often fail to see their own personal situation realistically, instead tending to dramatize and exaggerate their difficulties. Responsibility for failure or disappointment is usually blamed on others. They may go through frequent job changes, as they become easily bored and have trouble dealing with frustration. Because they tend to crave novelty and excitement, they may place themselves in risky situations. All of these factors may lead to greater risk of developing depression.
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