his·tri·on·ic – /ˌhistrēˈänik/ – adjective – overly theatrical or melodramatic in character or style.
A full house showed up Friday at 8:30PM in Augusta (Courtland Grand) to attend the Alternate and Historical Fiction track panel, “Psychotic Impact: The History of Histrionics and Women’s Mental Health.” Moderated by Edward Hicks, APC, the panel consisted of Caroline Maner, MS, LAPC; Chelsea Harris, MS, ATR-BC, LPC, CPCS; and Brittany Leckner, Clinical Consultant.
Hicks began the panel by reading a brief passage from the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman about a prolific journal-writer whose mental health declines drastically while being treated by her physician husband, who confines her to a “rest cure” in a room with yellow wallpaper. To help her recuperate from her “slight hysterical tendencies,” she’s forbidden from any work, including writing in her journal. This causes her to concentrate on the only thing in the room, the peeling yellow wallpaper. Unfortunately, this had a detrimental effect rather than a useful one.
Leckner provided a brief history of the word histrionics, saying it originally came from the Greek word hysteria which means wandering uterus. Doctors once practiced the idea that why women show their emotions is because their uterus was not in the correct place. Often, doctors would prescribe sex to help get the uterus back to its proper place. The panel joked that it was believed that women didn’t have enough sex, while sometimes they had too much sex. One of the panelists even mentioned that the problem was more that women “had too much control over the type of sex they had.”
The panel moved on to discuss Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD), explaining that most women diagnosed were in their late teens and early twenties. The symptoms of HPD are listed as attention-seeking, unstable emotions, quickly changing emotions, need to be the center of attention, relationships seem closer than what they actually are, concern with physical appearance, seeking reassurance or approval, and blaming others for their shortcomings. In other words, as the panel revealed, these all point to the normal development of teenage girls. If these symptoms persist later in adult life, it is likely due to arrested development at that stage, due to trauma.
Social media was mentioned briefly as adding to HPD. The panel discussed that influencers on social media play right into these feelings. They also discussed that the algorithm does not care about what is good for you. It simply wants to radicalize you and drive you to a specific thing. Even before social media, being around other mothers when the kids are in school, and feeling like you are not able to live up to expectations of others, can contribute to those same HPD feelings.
Historically speaking, the panel discussed, women’s health has been difficult. Healthcare has been weaponized against women in favor of men. For example, women would be institutionalized simply for saying no to their husband’s request for sex. Women were told to stay home, have sex, have babies, and were told there was nothing for them outside the household. They were told that their emotions made them incapable of holding positions of power. Post-COVID, things have been slowly getting better as regards mental health in general, but we still have a very long way to go.
One of the attendees asked how to parent these situations mindfully. The panel agreed that giving the child stability inside the family in order to support them is vital. Let the child process their feelings, and give them expressions of comfort. They warned that it can be hard to sit with feelings, but that is the only way to work through them.
One of the panelists brought up cosplay and how that can be a healthy way for people to explore their sense of self. Along with that, Dungeons and Dragons was mentioned as a great way to explore self-expression. One of the panelists opined how to bring the acceptance of Dragon Con to everyday situations.
As the hour wrapped up, Leckner mentioned that many of the symptoms of HPD and other mental health issues are also symptoms of imbalanced hormones. When advocating for yourself with your primary care physician, ask for them to add testosterone to your hormone tests as well.
