BPD, Histrionic Personality Disorder & The ‘Hysterical’ Myth

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BPD Diaries: Stories and Science

Stephanie Schildknecht, Kerry Fisher

37 episodes

6 days ago

Two women. Two Master’s degrees in Psychology. A lifetime of BPD symptoms, bad coping mechanisms, and way too many tears , so now we laugh… a lot. We’ve walked through the fire of BPD and made it out stronger, armed with science, skills, and the occasional dark joke. Join us for unfiltered stories, the latest research, and practical strategies that actually work. It’s real talk about BPD - raw, honest, and with just enough humor to make the hard stuff easier to hear. Brought to you with love by Stephanie Schildknecht and Kerry Fisher

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BPD, Histrionic Personality Disorder & The ‘Hysterical’ Myth | What’s Really Going On?

BPD Diaries: Stories and Science

29 minutes 1 second

3 weeks ago

BPD, Histrionic Personality Disorder & The ‘Hysterical’ Myth | What’s Really Going On?

Have you ever been called “too dramatic,” “too emotional,” or “attention-seeking”? These labels are hurtful, oversimplified, and often point to a deeper, misunderstood struggle. In this episode, we explore the complex and often confused relationship between Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD).

We go beyond the stereotypes to unpack the science and the stories. What’s the real difference between a core fear of abandonment and a desperate need to be seen? Is "histrionic" just a gendered, modern version of "hysteria"? How can two disorders look so similar on the outside yet feel so different on the inside?

🌱 Have questions, stories, or something you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bpddiariesstoriesandscience1@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and let’s keep the conversation going.

🎧 Looking for meditations made for emotional regulation, BPD, and more? Check out Empowered Heroes Meditations on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.

If you’d like more support in your journey toward BPD recovery, Steff offers 1:1 sessions using evidence-based tools from DBT and Mindfulness to help you heal. Email for a free 30-Minute Consultation:

📩 steff@bpdsupport.org or check out the website: www.bpdsupport.org

📚 Referenced Research Includes:

DELİGÖZ, A., & KARAAZİZ, M. (2025). A Review of Common Therapeutic Approaches in the Clinical Intervention of Histrionic Personality Disorder. ISPEC International Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 9(2), 140–156. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15773941

Hujing, C.L., Yalch, M.M. (2024). Histrionic Personality Disorder. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_2502-1

Liu, Y., Chen, C., Zhou, Y., Zhang, N., & Liu, S. (2024). Twenty years of research on borderline personality disorder: a scientometric analysis of hotspots, bursts, and research trends. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1361535

Novais, F., Araújo, A., & Godinho, P. (2015). Historical roots of histrionic personality disorder. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 1463.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01463