Histrionic Personality: Traits and Relationship Risks

Are you wondering: What is a histrionic personality? What does histrionic mean? What is Histrionic Personality Disorder? What does HPD look like?

Histrionic personalities are flamboyant, melodramatic attention-seekers.

A histrionic person may be the life of the party and draw a partner in with their enthusiasm, charm, and seduction, but then wear the partner out with their need to be the center of the universe.

HPD: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Effects on Relationships

What Are Personality Disorders?

Personality disorders (PDs) are long-standing, deeply ingrained patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that cause problems in how a person functions and relates to others. These patterns usually show up by late adolescence or early adulthood and remain relatively stable over time.

Unlike mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety, personality disorders reflect persistent traits that shape the person’s identity and interactions. They typically don't respond as well to medication or therapy as mental illness. 

These traits can distort how they see themselves, other people, and the world around them.

There are 10 officially recognized personality disorders, each with its own unique characteristics. However, they all tend to involve:

• Difficulty seeing one’s own contribution to problems

• Trouble with emotional regulation

• Struggles in maintaining healthy relationships

In relationships, these patterns often show up as manipulation, control, volatility, or emotional disconnection—though the expression varies greatly depending on the specific disorder.

🟢➜ Click here for a full guide to personality disorders, including how they’re diagnosed and how they differ from mental illness.

What Is Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD)?

The root of the word histrionic is the same as that of hysterical.

When you think of histrionic personality disorder, think "drama."

Histrionic people are dramatic, and they tend to create drama.

They can put on a show to draw you close, but after a while, it's not going to be a pleasant place to be. 

National Institute of Health, Histrionic Personality Disorder website page offers this description:

"People with histrionic personality disorder are typically characterized as flirtatious, seductive, charming, manipulative, impulsive, and lively."

Cluster B Personality Disorders: What They Are and How HPD Fits In

While there are 10 official personality disorders in the psychology diagnostic handbook, four of them—Histrionic, Borderline, Narcissistic, and Antisocial (AKA sociopathy and psychopathy)—form what is known as Cluster B Personality Disorders. 

Cluster B personalities share traits that make them dramatic, emotional, and erratic.

Each has problems with impulse control and emotional regulation. Each is driven by self-centered motivations that don't take into account collateral damage from their selfish behaviors and attitudes. 

HPD vs NPD: Key Differences Between Histrionic and Narcissistic Personality Disorders

There are similarities between people officially diagnosed as narcissistic and those officially diagnosed as histrionic.

A key point of differentiation between these 2 personalities appears on the National Institute of Health, Histrionic Personality Disorder website page:

"Patients with narcissistic personality disorder want attention, which results from admiration or veneration, whereas people with histrionic personality disorder are not particular about what type of attention they garner."

HPD and Suicide Risk: How It Compares to Borderline Personality Disorder

Like people with borderline personality, people with histrionic personality may threaten suicide; however, there is a major difference regarding suicide between the two personalities.

While 8–10% of people with BPD complete suicides, completed suicides among people with Histrionic Personality Disorder is much less characteristic. 

(Reference: American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 664, 668.)

Diagnostic Criteria for Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD)

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is the diagnostic criteria source used by mental health and medical professionals.

For a diagnosis of histrionic personality disorder, patients must have a persistent pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking.

This pattern is shown by the presence of at least 5 of the following:

1. Discomfort when they are not the center of attention

2. Interaction with others that is inappropriately sexually seductive or provocative

3. Rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions

4. Consistent use of physical appearance to call attention to themselves

5. Speech that is extremely impressionistic and vague

6. Self-dramatization, theatricality, and extravagant expression of emotion

7. Suggestibility (easily influenced by others or situations)

8. Interpretation of relationships as more intimate than they are

Also, symptoms must have begun by early adulthood.

What are the Symptoms and Traits of Histrionic Personality Disorder?

What do histrionic traits look like? How are they displayed? How do they play out in people's lives?

Histrionic traits include the following (not all are necessarily present in an individual):

• Dramatic

• Over-the-top emotions

• Overly enthusiastic

• Rapidly flipping emotions

• Craves being the center of attention

• Feels put out if not the center of attention

• Uses physical appearance to get attention

• Envious of others who get attention

• Flirtatious

• Seductive

• Excessive need for approval

• Overly sensitive to criticism

• Self-indulgent

• Self-centered

• Tends to think relationships are more intimate than they really are

• Easily influenced by other people

• Manipulative

• Willing to lie and make up stories to get attention

• Overspends on physical “trappings” (clothes, makeup, etc.)

• Blames others for her shortcomings and disappointments

• Expresses strong, passionate opinions that she can’t back up with detail or reason

• Has trouble with delaying gratification: wants gratification right now

• Uses suicide threats to gain attention and manipulate

Histrionic Personality Disorder and Intimate Partner Abuse (IPA)

While not everyone with Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) is abusive, their need for attention and tendency to dramatize situations may lead to patterns of demanding, controlling, and punishing behaviors and attitudes that are the hallmark of partner abuse.  

In some cases, they may use seduction, flattery, or crisis (real or staged) as mechanisms of coercive control. 

As with all personality disorders, they typically lack the willingness or ability to self-reflect and own what they do wrong. They may also deflect blame, shift narratives, or rewrite relationship history to keep the focus on themselves.

During the 2022 Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard defamation trial, forensic psychologist Dr. Shannon Curry testified that Amber exhibited traits of both Borderline and Histrionic Personality Disorders. The testimony provides a great case study in HPD. 🟢➜ For a transcript of Dr. Curry's testimony about Amber Heard and my analysis, click here. 

Helpful Books for Understanding and Recovering from Partner Abuse

I've written several books to help individuals and couples who are dealing with partner abuse and those who are recovering from an abusive relationship.

These books are also written to educate people who are trying to avoid being abused or abusive, the families and friends of people dealing with partner abuse, helping professionals, and anyone interested in expanding their understanding of partner abuse in all its forms and gender configurations. 

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