This webpage is part of the Canadian organization, Internet Mental Health, and is entitled

Transcription

1 Histrionic Personality Disorder Websites Reviewed by Michelle Clayborne Long, P. W. (2008), Internet Mental Health. Histrionic personality disorder. Retrieved May 8, 2009, from This webpage is part of the Canadian organization, Internet Mental Health, and is entitled Histrionic Personality Disorder. Under the title is an image of a young woman seemingly from the 1800 s or early 1900 s. Further down the page a brief description of the diagnostic criteria of histrionic personality disorder is listed. From there, the complications that an individual may have with this disorder are listed. A list of other diagnoses that are comorbid with histrionic personality disorder is presented followed by laboratory findings. There is then a description of the prevalence and course of histrionic personality disorder. The site then goes on to provide various links that further describe the disorder. One of the links available offers online diagnosis of this or any other mental illness. The information presented on this website is brief and overall does not provide a detailed description of histrionic personality disorder. The section of the web page entitled Complications gives a very negative view of mental illness as a whole. If I were an individual, or family member of an individual, just diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder reading this would make feel as if the diagnosis became even more daunting. A helpful piece of this webpage is an available link that connects readers to an outside website with the diagnostic criteria from the DSM IV. Another link leads to the online diagnosis service offered by Internet Mental Health. The client, a friend or family member, or a therapist can complete this online diagnosis. There can be several negative effects of an individual being able to diagnose him or her self by simply completing a questionnaire online. Overall, this website offers only a limited

2 amount of useful information about histrionic personality disorder and the availability of an online diagnosis tool may be more of a detriment than a help. Kelly, D. (2006). Histrionic personality disorder. Retrieved May 8, 2009, from At first glance this webpage seems very plain and has a textbook feel with very little color and fairly straightforward information. It is part of the ptypes.com website that is dedicated to the study of Stoic psychology and philosophy. The diagnostic description of histrionic personality disorder as it appears in the DSM IV is presented, followed by a five factor model profile. The five factors of histrionic personality disorder as explained here are: high neuroticism, low extraversion, high openness, high agreeableness, and low conscientiousness. The affect and character weaknesses of this personality disorder are then presented. From here, the webpage offers theoretical perspectives on Histrionic Personality Disorder. The theories included are behavioral, life story, Stoic, Niebuhrian/Horneyan, and cognitive. This is followed by a list of links related to histrionic personality disorder. This website gives a detailed overview of histrionic personality disorder. If I knew nothing about this disorder I would find this website to be very beneficial. There is factual information from the DSM IV, and it is cited as such. The information on the various theoretical approaches allows one to more deeply understand histrionic personality disorder through a variety of views. However, if one were not in the field of psychology they may be confused by some of the information provided. This webpage seems to have been written more for individuals that study this disorder, rather than a person seeking personal information. Overall,

3 this website would be helpful for individuals seeking scholarly information, but not for those who are seeking personal information on Histrionic Personality Disorder. Always Your Choice Medical. Histrionic personality disorder. Retrieved May, 8, 2009, from Always Your Choice Medical is a medical office offering general medical services as well as sexual health services. Their website offers information on physical health needs, and there is also a section on psychological well being. It is in this section that the description of histrionic personality disorder is given in a few short paragraphs. The first paragraph states that most of the people with this disorder are women, and throughout the remainder of the description individuals with histrionic personality disorder are referred to as she or the histrionic. The description includes a section on symptoms and section on diagnosis and treatment. This website is for a medical practice that does not offer counseling or psychiatric services so the inclusion of psychological disorders seems misplaced. The description of histrionic personality disorder is written in a way that would be easily understood by most people. If I were just learning about histrionic personality disorder, this webpage would be straightforward and easy to read. However, there are no references to literature making it difficult to verify this information. There are also no links to other resources that may be helpful for further study. This website is helpful for one to gain an initial understanding of Histrionic Personality Disorder, but even that is limited because there are no resources, making its legitimacy questionable.

4 The Cleveland Clinic Foundation (2009). Histrionic personality disorder. Retrieved May 8, 2009, from _Disorder.aspx This webpage is part of the Cleveland Clinic website, which offers a vast amount of information on a variety of medical conditions. Though I reached this site via a Google search, the Cleveland Clinic website offers a user friendly search tool that can be reached via the Health Information link. The histrionic personality disorder webpage begins with an overview of what a personality disorder is, and then goes into more specific details about histrionic personality disorder. The symptoms and causes of histrionic personality disorder are presented, followed by the diagnosis and treatment. There are then short sections about the complications of the disorder, the outlook for those with the disorder, and possible prevention. Following this is a link offering the services of a health educator via live chat. Under this information is a disclaimer, telling readers to ask their medical provider for advice about specific conditions. The information in this website is from a reputable source giving the information some validity. While medical terms are used, it still seems to be written for the general public. There is a clinical tone so no bias or negative connotations come through to the reader. If I were an individual just diagnosed with this disorder I would feel comfortable reading this website because it is respectful in delivering the facts. The link for a health educator is also helpful and may be beneficial to those that have further questions. Finally, the disclaimer encourages individuals to consult with their medical provider, which is important to deter individuals from making a self diagnosis. To conclude, this website offers brief but detailed information about

5 histrionic personality disorder that would be helpful for a variety of readers, whether it is for personal or research purposes. Port, T. (2007). Histrionic personality disorder: Overview of diagnosis, prevalence, and treatment of hpd. Retrieved May 8, 2009, from This webpage is an article on the Suite 101.com website, which is a large collection of various articles. This article begins with a brief description of histrionic personality disorder, and then goes into the diagnosis of this disorder as described by the DSM IV. A brief description of the prevalence and cause and course of histrionic personality is then given. Following this, there is a detailed description of the treatment for histrionic personality disorder to include psychotherapy, and medication. This article ends with links for additional information, and a listing of additional resources. A disclaimer is included stating that individuals should seek professional help for diagnosis purposes. The webpage has an area for individuals to add comments, which several individuals have done giving accounts of their personal relationships with those diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder. This article offers a very brief look at histrionic personality disorder. Throughout the webpage, there are links for various psychological services including quick and free diagnostic tools, and home treatment cures for various disorders. These various advertisements take away from the aesthetics of the webpage and devalue the information. The article is written in a manner that could be understood by the general public, but there are still psychological and medical terms utilized. It does refer to individuals with histrionic personality disorder as histrionics, though infrequent. The additional resources and disclaimer encourage individuals to

6 seek further information, and not use this article as a diagnosis tool. This is beneficial for ensuring individuals do not use this one article as a sole determinant of histrionic personality disorder in their own or their loved ones life. Lastly, the comments section is seemingly helpful for asking questions to the article author. However, many of the comments are negative accounts with individuals with histrionic personality disorder. This website offers brief information and provides links to helpful resources that may be helpful for basic information about histrionic personality disorder.