Hysterical personality disorder or factitious disorder?

I know hysterical isn't a politically correct or empirically accepted term anymore, but it sounds more serious than histrionic.

If someone pretended to have HPD, like they act hysterical and pretty much have all the symptoms of the disorder, but they do it to draw attention to the fact that they have a personality disorder, do they have an FD or PD?

I have known of HPD since early 2011, but things I did before then could easily qualify as typical behaviors for such people. I learned of the personality disorders while I was looking for a label to apply to myself in order to excuse some irrational behaviors I had done concerning a boyfriend. I am quick to use HPD as a crutch, but I also do experience things typical of hysteria (somatic symptoms, pseudohypersexuality, shallow emotions, etc)

Could it just be a particularly factitious type of HPD? I love being categorized and I definitely want a professional to see me as HPD and take interest in me as such.

What I mean by a factitious type of HPD is like, a subtype oriented to wanting sympathy for illnesses--even if the illness is the HPD itself.

Would a person with HPD use HPD to get attention if they were interested in attention from doctors or professionals? Does that qualify HPD as a factitious disorder, or does HPD override FD? Would they be comorbid?

Can a personality disorder be somatic?

Hi

On balance I think this is more appropriate in the HPD forum as the crux seems to be about HPD diagnosis so I have moved it there. I have however left a shadown topic in the FD forum so ppl there can choose to reply too

Hope you get some answers

Cracked

coneyislandking -

My personal experience with HPD is limited to a few experiences with people who seemed to be near completely unaware of what was behind their actions/reactions.

You are very introspective though, and maybe it's because of that key difference that you are someone who won't fit any 'label' (interesting comments by the way on why you wanted to be labeled).

I can relate A LOT to this and I'm really trying very hard to find the answer to your question, but I just keep running in circles.I just want to get diagnosed with SOMETHING (although there are some preferences), but even I'm not sure if I'm faking and if so, why am I faking.Is it for attention? A sense of identity? An excuse? I'm really not sure. I guess I'm addicted to some weird kind of negative attention and collecting data about my personality from other people and a diagnosis would be both, at least that's what my father thinks.I'm kind of scared of seeing a therapist because I don't want him to see right through me the moment I open my mouth. It's really confusing because right now I'm both scared of having FD and want to have it and when I think about it ,I've always been told that I wanted to have it.Well, not in those exact words but that I'm a person who wants to want to be not normal because I naturally hated anything that wasn't perfectly normal and average, but I felt like "perfectly normal and average" wasn't an option.I hope it makes sense.I'm still trying to make sense of it to be honest.

coneyislandking wrote:I know hysterical isn't a politically correct or empirically accepted term anymore, but it sounds more serious than histrionic.

If someone pretended to have HPD, like they act hysterical and pretty much have all the symptoms of the disorder, but they do it to draw attention to the fact that they have a personality disorder, do they have an FD or PD?

I have known of HPD since early 2011, but things I did before then could easily qualify as typical behaviors for such people. I learned of the personality disorders while I was looking for a label to apply to myself in order to excuse some irrational behaviors I had done concerning a boyfriend. I am quick to use HPD as a crutch, but I also do experience things typical of hysteria (somatic symptoms, pseudohypersexuality, shallow emotions, etc)

Could it just be a particularly factitious type of HPD? I love being categorized and I definitely want a professional to see me as HPD and take interest in me as such.

What I mean by a factitious type of HPD is like, a subtype oriented to wanting sympathy for illnesses--even if the illness is the HPD itself.

Would a person with HPD use HPD to get attention if they were interested in attention from doctors or professionals? Does that qualify HPD as a factitious disorder, or does HPD override FD? Would they be comorbid?

Can a personality disorder be somatic?

I think you kind of answer your own questions in the underlined bits. You're basically saying that you pretend to have HPD as means of being interesting, but for me to see it might as well be any PD. It sounds like what is crucial to you, is to be labeled with a personality disorder so people will find you interesting, feel empathy with you or take pity on you. It sounds like you're looking for an easy way, a fake and assumed way to be interesting and for others to notice you.

This doesn't really sound like HPD to me. I can't speak for all histrionics, but this doesn't sound like me at all. While I do take pleasure in being "special" and having talents most people don't, I'd really prefer to be "normal". I wouldn't feel any sense of satisfaction from the attention I received if it was based on my PD, and I don't really care for other people having empathy with me.

Hi CIK

I know hysterical isn't a politically correct or empirically accepted term anymore, but it sounds more serious than histrionic.

Politics aside, Hysterical Personality Disorder might actually 'still' be 'real' - it has been described as Histrionic traits in a person with a Neurotic Personality Organization, instead of HPD, which is said to occur in people with a Borderline Personality Organization, i.e., the Cluster B "foundation."

I have known of HPD since early 2011, but things I did before then could easily qualify as typical behaviors for such people. I learned of the personality disorders while I was looking for a label to apply to myself in order to excuse some irrational behaviors I had done concerning a boyfriend. I am quick to use HPD as a crutch, but I also do experience things typical of hysteria (somatic symptoms, pseudohypersexuality, shallow emotions, etc)
Could it just be a particularly factitious type of HPD? I love being categorized and I definitely want a professional to see me as HPD and take interest in me as such.
What I mean by a factitious type of HPD is like, a subtype oriented to wanting sympathy for illnesses--even if the illness is the HPD itself.

Yeah but I still think the essential question is do you know why you want to behave this way - i.e, how do you feel and what do you think of if you try to behave 'normal.'

Can a personality disorder be somatic?

I have seen some really peculiar anatomical changes in a woman who is probably Hysterical or Histrionic. These changes were in the genitals/breasts; let's just leave it described as ripe fruit; tumescence. Of course the question is

does the body influence the mind, or does the mind influence the body?

i.e., is it bodily hormones that make a person seductive, or is it a bottled up sexual impulses that affect bodily hormones and (in the case of this woman) produces characteristics that advertise reproductive potential?

If someone pretended to have HPD, like they act hysterical and pretty much have all the symptoms of the disorder, but they do it to draw attention to the fact that they have a personality disorder, do they have an FD or PD?

What you are trying to answer is

if you act enough like a condition, are you that condition?

-In FD people act like they have arthritis, but the blood work shows nothing for arthritis.
-Angelo Buono (the Hillside Strangler), probably a pwAsPD psychopathy, when on trial for his life tried to act like he had Multiple Personality (= today's Dissociative Identity) Disorder, but screwed up when he revealed that his everyday functioning personality knew about the 'evil' personality that murdered - in DID if one of the "personalities" does something unacceptable like murder, it is repressed and hidden from the everyday functioning personality. So Buono tipped his real agenda, which was to save his neck in a psych hospital.
-If you act like an HPD but are aware of doing it: like X dude said if it were unconscious would it be HPD?... if conscious and instrumental, something else? The question is are all pwHPD (at least the 'pure' ones, i.e. not also NPD) necessarily unaware of what they are doing? Or do they ever do it instrumentally, purposely, in order to take pleasure in it or accomplish some tangible objective? I'm not sure, but note that Millon described the Disingenous HPD subtype, which might involve antisocial behaviors like intentional manipulation and lying.

Your question is interesting, because when a pwHPD becomes self-aware, they then know what they are doing, and so can they really be HPD anymore? This time could involve a transformation towards FD?, or NPD?, or AsPD?, or even better, recovery .

orion8591 wrote:Your question is interesting, because when a pwHPD becomes self-aware, they then know what they are doing, and so can they really be HPD anymore? This time could involve a transformation towards FD?, or NPD?, or AsPD?, or even better, recovery .

I don't see how just a self-awareness of having a PD would really change anything. The person with the PD has ingrained traits that are learned coping mechanisms, which are practically compulsions. They are basically bad habits, and we all know how hard habits are to break, even with committed resolve to change and awareness of our actions. It's just not that simple.

In times of need, even though I'm self- aware as a diagnosed HPD, when I feel low I still
soothe myself by excessive flirting, attention seeking and such. It's just too easy, and too fun. Sure, I have good self esteem these days and don't *really* need the attention. But it feels damn good

exquisite -

I agree that our deeply ingrained reactions and habits don't just stop even if we are aware of them. Being aware and introspective makes it at least possible to change these habits, but they definitely don't just stop over night.

Hi Exquisite, good to hear from you

I don't see how just a self-awareness of having a PD would really change anything. The person with the PD has ingrained traits that are learned coping mechanisms, which are practically compulsions. They are basically bad habits, and we all know how hard habits are to break, even with committed resolve to change and awareness of our actions. It's just not that simple.
In times of need, even though I'm self- aware as a diagnosed HPD, when I feel low I still
soothe myself by excessive flirting, attention seeking and such. It's just too easy, and too fun. Sure, I have good self esteem these days and don't *really* need the attention. But it feels damn good.

Yes, I agree, for many the HPD experience seems to be an intentional choice, to choose a behavior that is rewarding, at least in the short term, so it is hard to choose another way that doesn't reward you right away. But perhaps even for the 'intentional' pwHPD, there is some unknown, maybe avoided part of themselves?
I also believe that good achievements involve difficulty; self-inspection, and wrestling with and trying to master one's flaws - this is true for everyone, a universal human condition.
My speculation is also that the more severe that HPD or another PD is, the more difficult the choices are; for example consider some of the folks with BPD, which in general seems a more debilitating PD than HPD. ???

Factitious disorder can be caused by a need to be diagnosed and treated with mental illnesses or illnesses in general as a result of issues which may be e.g. need for attention or need to be cared for etc.

Those would be consistent long-standing underlying needs relating to complex psychological issues. They could probably be classed as PD in most cases if people choose to apply that label.

Other complex causes: e.g. thinking you are taking actions for your own benefit because your perception and understanding of your own needs is skewed by issues. e.g. you take your car to the car wash because your tyres are flat and are convinced the car wash can help you reinflate them.
Those would certainly fall under psychological issues, but they don't fall under factitious disorder if the person's needs don't revolve around being diagnosed and treated with illness.

HPD is something else someone has tried "suggesting to me" in the past (troll) and I'd take the opportunity to point out that essentially in doing this they're trying to harm me and if that's not what they want to do its inappropriate.