Treatment for Histrionic Personality Disorder
Individuals who suffer from this disorder are usually difficult to treat for a multitude of reasons. Like most personality disorders, the individual seeks treatment only when the disorder is affecting their ability to function or when they are experiencing stress. Unlike most personality disorders, people diagnosed with this disorder are much quicker to seek treatment and exaggerate their symptoms and difficulties in functioning. Because they also tend to be more emotionally needy, they are often reluctant to terminate therapy.
Group and family therapy approaches are generally not recommended, since the client would often draws attention to themselves and exaggerates every action and reaction. These people have problems in their interpersonal relationships with others because they appear to be "artificial" or shallow.
Psychotherapy
Like all personality disorders, psychotherapy is chosen to treat borderline personality disorder.
Therapy should generally be supportive and good understanding will usually be easily established with the patient early on. Therapists may often be asked to "rescue" the client from his daily problems, which are described in a dramatic fashion. An effective psychotherapeutic approach is to concentrate on solving difficulties in the client's life, rather than the personality change of the individual.
It is not common for a patient with histrionic personality disorder to have suicidal behavior. The therapist should not ignore suicidal threats of the patient, and should discuss the issue seriously with the patient.
