There is much new about mental talk about mental health and disorders even by everyday people. Narcissism has been a hot topic over the past five years becoming an overused word. It has become trendy for the average or laymen to label others as narcissistic even without a true understanding of what the term
means. Rather than use the same trending disorder and information, I am going to address another disorder and how it has become more prevalent in our day to day lives. In this blog we are discussing “Histrionic Personality Disorder”.

Thecore of this disorder is attention seeking, emotional overreaction and seductive behaviors. These behaviors may appear increasingly common amongst the billions of those on social media. Social media have given us the ability to connect with family and friends even when we are not in the physical vicinity of those family and friends. Social media has also given us the unlimited ability to forge connections, promote our products, ourselves, and our opinions across the globe in ways never before possible.

Socialmedia addiction may go hand and hand with histrionic personality disorder, studies are currently happening to determine the possible correlation between them. These sites don’t create conflicts or character flaws, but they can intensify feelings such as anger, jealousy, and envy. Social media websites can create a false sense of closeness and intimacy in relationships with strangers that don’t physically exist. Some may then overestimate their closeness with other individuals. Let’s take a serious look at the traits and characteristics of the disorder according to the DSM-5. (American Psychiatric Association (2013).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5^th edition)

Accordingto the DSM-5 how Histrionics Personality Disorder is defined by an excessive emotions and attention seeking as a habit or pattern. Quiet often those with the disorder are not suited and comfortable without being the center of attention. They often resort to extreme behaviors to gain the attention. They may change their voice, behavior, activities, and physical experience often, they may also exaggerate emotions.

In the typical world we label those with histrionic personality disorder as “drama queens”. They often have and insatiable need for constant validation from the outside and attach very soon to relationships. They may engage in seductive and manipulative
actions to get this attention. To be clearer a person with Histrionic Personality Disorder has 5 of the following symptoms according to the DSM-5:

· Self-centeredness, feeling uncomfortable whennot the center of attention

· Constantly seeking reassurance or approval

· Inappropriately seductive appearance orbehavior

· Rapidly shifting emotional states that appearshallow to others

· Overly concerned with physical appearance, andusing physical appearance to draw attention to self

· Opinions are easily influenced by otherpeople, but difficult to back up with details

· Excessive dramatics with exaggerated displaysof emotion

· Tendency to believe that relationships aremore intimate than they are

· Is highly suggestible (easily influenced byothers)

Today attention hasbecome a great commodity not simply for the satisfaction of it alone, but also
the monetization of attention. Children now are born into an increasingly attention seeking world, many gaining these habits from their parents, movie stars, musicians, popular media, and their peers. It can become dangerous due to the lack of boundaries exhibited by some with the disorder. (AmericanPsychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5^th edition)

REFERENCES:

AmericanPsychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental
disorders (5^th edition). Washington, D.C.: American PsychiatricPublishing. Read: Sleep-Wake Disorders, Neurocognitive Disorders &
Disruptive, Impulse Control and Conduct Disorders.

McDonough,I. M., & Allen, R. S. (2019). Biological markers of aging and mental
health: A seed and soil model of neurocognitive disorders. Aging &Mental Health, 23(7), 793–799.