Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T04:33:25.946Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Hysterical Personality Disorder

The Process of Diagnosis in Clinical and Experimental Settings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

D. J. Thompson*
Affiliation:
High Royds Hospital, Menston and Malham House Day Hospital, 25 Hyde Terrace, Leeds LS2 9LN, Honorary Clinical Lecturer, University of Leeds
D. Goldberg
Affiliation:
University Department of Psychiatry, Withington Hospital, Manchester
*
Correspondence

Abstract

A study of the case notes of 52 patients with a diagnosis of hysterical personality disorder showed that 27 had no recorded features of that condition, but were frequently described as aggressive, uncooperative, or attention-seeking. Although 60% were recorded as depressed, only 17% received antidepressant treatment. In an experimental study, the core traits of the disorder were found to have a low inter-rater reliability. Two patients, who had received hospital diagnoses of hysterical personality disorder, were shown to display behaviour that caused psychiatrists to make a diagnosis on wholly inadequate information.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1987 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bibb, R. C. & Guze, S. B. (1972) Hysteria (Briquets Syndrome) in a psychiatric hospital: The significance of depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 129. 224228.Google Scholar
Chodoff, P. & Lyons, H. (1958) Hysteria, the hysterical personality and hysterical conversion. American Journal of Psychiatry, 114, 734740.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feighner, J. P., Robins, E. & Guze, S. B. (1972) Diagnostic criteria for use in psychiatric research. Archives of General Psychiatry, 26, 5770.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Forrest, A. D. (1967) Manifestations of ‘hysteria’: phobic patients and hospital recidivists. British Journal Medical Psychology, 42, 263270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kendell, R. E. (1973) Psychiatric diagnosis: a study of how they are made. British Journal of Psychiatry, 122, 437445.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Presley, A. S. & Walton, H. J. (1973) Dimensions of abnormal personality. British Journal of Psychiatry, 122, 269276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reed, J. L. (1975) The diagnosis of hysteria. Psychological Medicine, 5, 1317.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Slavney, P. R. & McHugh, P. R. (1974) The hysterical personality; a controlled study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 30, 325329.Google Scholar
Walton, H. J. & Presley, A. S. (1973) Use of category system in the diagnosis of abnormal personality. British Journal of Psychiatry, 122, 259268.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.