The main signs of hysterical personality disorder, leading symptoms and qualitative criteria for the diagnosis of psychopathy. Important aspects of the treatment of patients with hysteria and the prognosis of the development of this disease. Hysterical personality disorder is a disease that belongs to the category of psychopathies and is characterized by a constant need for demonstrative self-expression, overestimation of one's own abilities and a narcissistic type of outlook.
Description and mechanism of development of hysterical personality disorder
Hysterical personalities as a variant of the norm are found as accentuations according to Leonhard. Such people are prone to demonstrative behavior, trying to be in the spotlight. Their distinctive feature is mental changes on the verge of pathology, stability and quality of life. If manifestations of hysteria create difficulties in everyday life, prevent a person from fulfilling and realizing his needs, this is most likely psychopathy.
Psychopaths can have a full-fledged family, a good job, but their character can be called specific. Hysterical personality disorder is most commonly seen in women, but can sometimes be found in men as well. Such people very often choose professions associated with the demonstration of their merits, and are very critical of comments. These can be actresses, models, presenters, and even teachers who are eager to talk about their main achievements.
This disease can manifest itself not only with mental symptoms, but also with a number of motor and autonomic reactions. A person instills in himself some principles and tries to adhere to them carefully. These are ideas of your own superiority and perfection. Moreover, he feels the need to constantly demonstrate his qualities and always needs positive assessments from the outside. Hysteria develops most often in emotional people who tend to react more sensitively to external stimuli. They interpret their vision of the world around them a little differently and put themselves in the center of their perception of the world, constantly need attention and use all means for this. Demonstrative behavior is often pretentious, capricious in nature. The heredity of hysterical personality disorder plays an important role. If relatives and friends have similar symptoms, the likelihood of development increases significantly. This does not mean that the disorder is transmitted in all cases, but at least has a genetic tendency.
From childhood, psychopathy develops in the form of character traits. The child is harmful, prone to inventions and fantasies, which often replace the real world for him. With age, self-centeredness, imitation, and rash actions are increasingly manifested. Teenagers are looking for idols among the stars, focusing on their "idolization". In fact, hysterics very rarely take any decisive action to achieve their own goals. With the onset of adulthood, most adolescent fantasies remain as primitive superficial thinking, frivolity in actions and behavior. Tantrums are focused on the outside world and its reflection by their person, on how others react to them. Often, inner experiences contain only fantasy elements that are associated with the person himself.
The main causes of hysterical personality disorder
There is a multifactorial theory of the origin of hysterical psychopathies. That is, the disease can be caused by both internal and external factors.
The internal ones most often include the specific inclinations of each personality, which together form the character. Psychopathy often develops from accentuation, but not always. A person's emotional sensitivity also plays an important role. Such people react painfully to any negative external factors, even of minor intensity. On the basis of this, a little stress can cause a real psycho-emotional shock.
External causes of hysterical personality disorder can be stress. Shocking news, life circumstances, accidents with the person himself or with loved ones can provoke the development of mental illnesses, including psychopathies.
The family microclimate and the relationship between spouses are of great importance. Constant domestic conflicts have a detrimental effect on the formation of the child's psyche. Likewise, an adult, after mental overstrain, may be prone to psychopathic manifestations.
Personal relationships both at work and in other areas of activity can develop into conflicts. Constant dissatisfaction at work is manifested by the consequences of chronic stress and even symptoms of a neurotic register. If relationships with colleagues slowly escalate and a person practically forces himself to literally endure work every day, there is a huge chance of psychopathy realizing. Dissatisfaction with professional activity is manifested by a lack of recognition. A person tries to prove his qualities, to show how good he is, and slowly slides into the abyss of psychopathies.
Alcohol abuse, prolonged uncontrolled intake of psychotropic substances, such as tranquilizers, antidepressants, sleeping pills, also play a huge role.
Symptoms of the development of hysterical personality disorder
The severity of this psychopathy is explained by the presence or absence of common symptoms in some individuals. It is also due to the individual emotional sensitivity of each person.
During the period of compensation for this hysterical personality disorder, symptoms may be similar to character accentuation. After a violation of the emotional balance, this disease decompensates and the signs of psychopathy gradually increase.
Karl Jaspers in 1923 indicated the main features of the behavior of hysterical personalities:
- Striving to appear better than it really is;
- The desire to experience, to try on oneself much more than the person himself is capable of;
- Emphasizing your uniqueness, while using implausible facts;
- Exaggeration of your social status;
- Due to the lack of their own achievements, they can hint or declare family ties with successful people;
- Lavish promises and bragging about opportunities without the right ground.
In order to attract attention, tantrums use any means. Most often they can be distinguished by their bright, trendy or extremely original clothes. Women do not skimp on cosmetics and often exaggerate its necessity. Bold decisions in choosing a daily outfit can be the first signs of hysterical disorder.
In sexual relations, such people are not very picky. They quickly fall in love, succumbing to a wave of feelings, whirlwind romances develop. But, unfortunately, internal inconsistency contributes to a quick separation, so hysterics are characterized by a whole series of short-term relationships. In rare cases, long-term attachments can develop, which are their pathological form at an overvalued level. The rich imagination of such people is often intertwined with reality. Fictional stories of their own superiority and talent are based on false invented memories. Often, a person himself loses the line between his inventions and reality.
Some manage to attract the attention of others by simulating various diseases. Patients complain of general malaise, severe pain, constantly turn to doctors for help and require increased attention from relatives and friends. A characteristic feature of this type of psychopathy is a hysterical fit. At the same time, chaotic movements of the arms and legs are observed, and the head is thrown back. This may be accompanied by screaming, screeching, or repeating words. Very often from the outside, an epileptic seizure can be suspected, but these two conditions have cardinal differences.
A hysterical (demonstrative) personality will never harm itself on its own, therefore it falls gently and slowly. During a seizure, a person does not lose consciousness and fixes everything that is happening around. There are no other signs of epilepsy, such as biting the tongue, frothing at the mouth, urination or defecation, or falling asleep after a seizure.
Features of the treatment of hysterical personality disorder
A hysterical disorder can develop for a long time, and in some cases people adapt to the way of life dictated by the disease. They disguise their extraordinaryness as outrageousness and quite realistically fit into modern society. But for others, this disease creates significant problems in life, difficulties at work and in the family, therefore it is so important to understand the main principles of its treatment.
First aid for hysterical seizures
In order for a hysterical seizure to develop, a long and rather intense psychotraumatic factor is needed. Outwardly, the clinical picture looks quite serious, mimicking epilepsy, so it is important to be able to help a person in this state:
- It is necessary to reassure others and loved ones. Their violent reaction to the seizure can stretch it even further. You need to behave as if nothing serious has happened, otherwise the hysterical person will become extremely agitated in order to gain even more attention.
- If conditions permit, it is worth transferring the person to another room and put on the bed. It is important to pick up all the things around that can hurt.
- It is recommended to bring out strangers, because a larger number of sympathizers is what a hysterical person achieves in principle. The seizure will only get worse if there are those who want to watch.
- To return a person to himself, you can let him smell ammonia by wetting it with a piece of cotton wool.
- Do not come close to the patient, but rather observe from the side. The symptoms will subside as soon as there is no one willing to look at the seizure.
Important! You should not leave such a person alone, since at the peak of neuro-emotional overstrain, such people are prone to demonstrative suicidal attempts.
Pharmacotherapy for hysterical personality disorder
Medical treatment of hysterical personality disorder in uncomplicated cases is not recommended in almost all countries of the world. This is due to the ineffectiveness and ineffectiveness of this method in comparison with others. Certain antidepressants may be prescribed when hysterical disorder is combined with severe depression. MAO inhibitors, tetra- and tricyclic antidepressants can be used. If a person is getting better, the drug should be withdrawn gradually.
Particular attention should be paid to the period of recovery from a depressive state, when health improves, and suicidal thoughts may still be present. At this time, you should be especially careful.
Due to the absence of the need to take pills daily, the treatment of most cases of hysterical psychopathies is carried out on an outpatient basis.
Psychotherapy for hysterical personality disorder
The treatment of hysterical personality disorder in many episodes is carried out with the participation of a psychotherapist. This method does not require inpatient treatment and is more affordable for workers or students. Moreover, its effectiveness is much higher than alternative methods of dealing with manifestations of psychopathy.
Let's consider in more detail the features of psychotherapy:
- Psychoanalysis … One of the oldest methods of therapy, which provides a comprehensive, integrated approach. Its action is aimed not only at eliminating the manifestations of hysterical disorder, but also at identifying the causes of its occurrence. With the help of psychoanalysis, it is possible to determine the antecedent factors in the development of the disease and find the right levers of influence in a particular clinical case. The psychoanalyst studies early childhood, puberty and other stages in a person's life that could influence his decisions at a given moment in life. Thus, it is possible to discover the hidden pathogenetic links between events from the past and the present disease.
- Group and family psychotherapy … Presented by several methods that offer the opportunity to critically look at yourself from the outside. A person learns to empathize with others and at the same time enjoys when everyone listens to his problems. Psychodrama is a type of group method. Here the patient can take on the role and feelings of another participant in a psychodramatic performance, play his part in a conflict situation. Family psychotherapy is aimed at eliminating interpersonal conflicts for a couple. It also takes into account the methods of raising children and the relationship with them.
- Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy … It is used as the fastest and most effective method of correcting the behavior of a hysterical personality. The doctor designates those ways of resolving conflict situations in life, which will lead to the most optimal results. In other words, the patient and the psychotherapist jointly develop such patterns and behaviors that will be successfully used in practice. The necessary social, ethical frameworks are being set, it is within them that you will need to realize your needs.
Rehabilitation of hysterical personality disorder
The restoration of mental health with the help of various methods of treatment must be accompanied by a gradual social adaptation of the person. He needs to find his place and purpose in society, taking into account his own wishes, inclinations and characteristics.
If a person of a hysterical type is for a long time separated from his usual life and begins to work with him individually using one of the psychotherapeutic methods, he will not want to return to the previous model of behavior. Adequate attention will reward his narcissistic nature and provide new opportunities for self-praise. Therefore, as progress is made in the psychotherapeutic technique, correct rehabilitation actions should be carried out aimed at returning a person to a normal life. In the case of a hysterical disorder, it is necessary to adapt the personality to the fact that she will have to live less defiantly, and to give the setting for adaptation.
How to treat hysterical personality disorder - watch the video:
Hysterical personality disorder is a fairly common problem in the modern world, which borders between illness and the extreme version of the norm. Despite this, the disorder can manifest itself extremely unfavorably and with symptoms that can harm both the patient himself and those around him, family and friends.
