Childhood Abuse and Histrionic Personality Disorder
Reader’s Question
Q:
If I know someone who has a histrionic personality type, how likely is it that they were abused as children?
Our Clinical Psychologist’s Reply
A:
Difficulties in childhood are often associated with the development of personality disorders and Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) is no exception. Some professionals believe HPD is the product of a dysfunctional relationship between the individual and one of the parents. Neurostudies have suggested the excessive emotionality and emotional reactiveness may be associated with an overly stimulated Norepinephrine system. In answer to your question, an individual with Histrionic Personality Disorder is more likely to have a history of childhood abuse than an individual without personality disorder features.
