But now it would seem that that is not all... I also have HPD traits as well. I did know this before as I realized when researching PDs in general that I definitely ring the bell on several of the criteria for HPD as well, but it never felt like it fully fit the way BPD did as with that diagnosis I rang all of them.
However in reading up on the correlation between HPD & BPD I discovered that there is a great deal of overlap between BPD and HPD features, so much so that some experts believe that HPD may not actually be distinguishable from BPD.
https://www.verywell.com/histronic-personality-disorder-425425
While some clinicians argue that the qualities of these symptoms are different in HPD versus BPD, for example, that the rapidly shifting emotions in HPD are not experienced with the same depth and intensity as those in BPD, other experts have argued that HPD and BPD are not necessarily distinct disorders. However, despite predictions that the HPD diagnosis would be dropped in DSM-5, it was not, and so it remains its own, specific and unique diagnosis. - Histrionic Personality Disorder and BPD : Understanding HPD and its relationship to BPD
By Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD | Reviewed by Steven Gans, MD
Imagine my surprise to realize that there was overlap....
How Often Do HPD and BPD Co-Occur?
There are only a few studies that have examined the co-occurrence of HPD and BPD.
One particularly rigorous study found that about 15 percent of patients with BPD also meet the diagnostic criteria for HPD. In another study that used a community sample, about 10 percent of people with BPD also met criteria for HPD. - Histrionic Personality Disorder and BPD : Understanding HPD and its relationship to BPD
By Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD | Reviewed by Steven Gans, MD
So I guess I am one of the 10-15% of people for whom I also meet the criteria for HPD. I don't have a formal diagnosis of this.... yet. However, I fit the criteria so obviously that it is rather redundant to even say so. But for the moment I am calling it merely traits, even though I can definitely claim 6 of the symptoms which under the DSM-V only 5 are required to constitute a diagnosis. And the criteria that I meet?
1. Discomfort in situations in which he or she is not the center of attention
2. Interaction with others that is often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive or
provocative behavior
3. Consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to self
4. Style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail
5. Shows self-dramatization, theatricality and exaggerated expression of emotion
6. Considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are
the last 2 criteria I left out do not really apply to me, but that is rather irrelevant I suppose as the vast majority do. So along with the all 9 BPD criteria I meet and these 6 criteria, well I am just one messed up dirty cupcake it would seem. And all of a sudden I have tumbled down the rabbit hole to Wonderland and find myself sipping tea with the Mad Hatter. Only my Alice is a seductive Drama Queen with suicidal tendencies, massive abandonment issues and a penchant for self-harm.
"One lump or two?"