I'm currently studying psychology at university, today during lectures we looked at disorders such as histrionic personality disorder. I discovered that a lot of the symptoms aply to my boyfriends behaviour. I'm on a break with him at current, as I found is behaviour too bizarreat times, and after studying this it related to it.

Basically I love this guy, but some of his traits annoy me. Obviously I can't suggest to him that he has this disorder, but I don't want to dump him now, I want to help him, but I can't tell him without medical advice, yet if I suggested that to him, he would probably totally disagree with me.

I'm really stuck now, as after reading up it says its less common in men, but so many symptoms are alike its freaky. Please can anyone help me out if they know anything about this disorder or living with someone with the disorder?

It's like every student in medical school develops symptoms of each disease he/she studies.

Let it go for now. :)

This is my post, I just forgot my password.


Choux... please can you explain what you mean by that, do you mean let him go?

We are currently on a break, as I can't deal with the way he is sometimes. Sometimes I feel I can more easily talk to my other lad mates than my boyfriend, other lad mates text me more asking how I am and what I've been up to, which is more than my boyfriend ever does!

The similarities with this disorder, also similar to borderline personality disorder or so alike him, they just all apply to him. It makes me feel sorry for him, but I could never tell him he has this problem, yet I think people dislike him because of it. As he would appear confident, attention seeking, image conscious, etc if you just met him without releasing he could have this disorder. I mean the symptoms are that you can be very social, which is why a lot of people are charmed by him.

I just don't want to end up a trap where I can't escape. I mean we have been on a break for a month, I don't really want to go back, but I can't leave him. I keep saying that's it, but when he texts me again I end up replying. He has begged and begged and begged for a month, saying I help him, make him better, etc etc, but he doesn't even know he may have this disorder.

I'm in such a mess!

I currently am in school too. Nursing school with a concentration on mental health.

It seems that most everything I have studied in the past 2 years I can relate to someone in my family. It is very common for us students to learn about symptoms and diagnose someone in our families with the particular disorder we are studying.

I studied spina bifida occulta and at the same time my son had a cyst on his bum (where spina bifida occurs)... well of course we went to the doctor, but it was a staph infection.

I would not be so quick to diagnose him with histrionic disorder, only a licensed psychiatrist can do this properly.

He may not have this disorder, you are just corrolating symptoms you have learned about with actions he has exhibited. Please don't be so quick to diagnose something so serious.

If you are on a break because of his actions, it may be best just to keep it broken up. You can't change him, nor can you force him to a psychiatrist for proper diagnosis.