FROM HYSTERIA TO HISTRIONIC PERSONALITY DISORDER

Abstract

Hysteria is perhaps one of the psychological disorders which history dates back to the oldest times,
it is one of the psychological disorders that even Hippocrates was trying to define and find the
treatment. Hysteria is a neurotic disorder with conversion, amnesia, sudden and unexplained anxiety
attacks and other symptoms. Hysteria as a diagnostical term is not used more in the modern
psychiatric classification system. Hysterical personality in the current diagnostic system is changed
to Histrionic Personality. Today, disorders derived from hysteria as a dissociative disorder,
somatoform disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and borderline
personality disorder are generally used. In the early 2000s, the incidence of histrionic personality
disorder was found to be 1.84% and this personality disorder was supposed as a personality disorder
that is seen in women population, but studies show that there is no any difference among genders. A
histrionic personality disorder is characterized by pervasive and excessive sensuality and attentionseeking behaviours. A histrionic personality disorder is in cluster B personality disorders in DSM-5.
Persons with this personality disorder adjust their physical appearance remarkably. Although they
exhibit intense emotions, they have a superficial affect. These people exhibit selfish behaviour.
Also, because they are extremely fascinated with physical attractiveness, become very uneasy when
they think they do not draw attention. They also think that they are not taken into account and they
think that they are ignored. In this study, hysterical personality will be discussed from the
psychoanalytical point of view, differences and similarities with a histrionic personality disorder
will be discussed in the frame of DSM point of view, exampling the defence mechanism with the
character from ‘The Story of Collapse’ written by Stefan Zweig