Residential Mental Health Treatment in Haverhill, MA
Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) is a mental health condition marked by emotional overexpression, a strong need for approval, and attention-seeking behaviors. While individuals with HPD may appear lively, charming, or engaging, their behavior often masks more profound feelings of insecurity, dependency, and emotional instability. Without treatment, HPD can interfere with relationships, work, and self-esteem, usually leading to cycles of crisis and interpersonal conflict.
Serenity at Summit New England in Haverhill, Massachusetts, provides short-term residential mental health treatment for individuals struggling with HPD. Our structured, trauma-informed program helps patients develop insight, regulate emotions, and build healthier patterns of relating to others—all within a supportive and therapeutic environment.
What Is Histrionic Personality Disorder?
HPD is classified as a Cluster B personality disorder in the DSM-5, alongside borderline, narcissistic, and antisocial personality disorders. Dramatic, erratic, or emotional behaviors characterize these conditions. Individuals with HPD tend to be highly impressionable, overly emotional, and excessively concerned with their appearance or how others perceive them.
Common signs and symptoms of HPD include:
- Constant need for attention or approval
- Rapidly shifting and shallow emotions
- Overly dramatic speech and behavior
- Excessive concern with physical appearance
- The belief that relationships are more intimate than they are
- Easily influenced by others or current trends
- Flirtatious or provocative behavior that may seem inappropriate
- Low tolerance for frustration or delayed gratification
While these behaviors may initially seem socially engaging, they often result in unstable relationships, miscommunications, and challenges with self-image and emotional regulation.
Understanding the Inner Experience
Beneath the outward expressiveness of HPD, many individuals experience a deep fear of being unloved or unnoticed. Their need for validation can result in people-pleasing, emotional intensity, or impulsivity. When their efforts to connect are not reciprocated, they may feel rejected, anxious, or ashamed, often without clear insight into what triggered the shift.
HPD may be accompanied by co-occurring conditions such as:
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Substance use disorders
- Borderline or narcissistic traits
At Serenity at Summit, we approach HPD with empathy and structure, recognizing both the pain and the protective strategies that fuel its patterns.
What Causes Histrionic Personality Disorder?
There is no single cause of HPD, but several factors may contribute to its development:
- Inconsistent or emotionally unpredictable parenting
- Overemphasis on appearance or external validation during childhood
- Lack of emotional modeling or secure attachment
- Family history of personality disorders
- Trauma, neglect, or early relational instability
Our trauma-informed program explores these developmental roots while empowering patients to develop more grounded, authentic ways of relating and coping.
When Is Residential Treatment Appropriate?
While many people with HPD function in everyday life, residential care may be necessary during emotional crises, failed outpatient treatment, or when behaviors lead to relational breakdown or self-destructive patterns.
Residential treatment is beneficial when an individual:
- Is experiencing frequent emotional crises or suicidal ideation
- Has unstable relationships or impulsive, risky behavior
- Struggles with identity, boundaries, or emotional regulation
- Exhibits self-sabotaging behavior at work or in treatment
- Has co-occurring disorders that exacerbate symptoms
Our 21–35-day residential program provides a consistent, supportive space for beginning to develop emotional insight, stabilize behavior, and prepare for continued outpatient treatment.
Our Treatment Approach at Serenity at Summit
Treating HPD requires a balance of validation and accountability. Our team focuses on building insight, helping patients identify triggers for emotional overreaction, and developing skills for stability and connection.
Core components of treatment include:
- Psychiatric assessment: Clarify diagnosis and address co-occurring symptoms
- Individual therapy: Explore emotional needs, attachment patterns, and identity development
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Build mindfulness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Challenge thought distortions and increase self-awareness
- Group therapy: Improve interpersonal effectiveness and receive peer feedback
- Daily structure: Support emotional grounding and routine building
- Medication management: As needed for anxiety, depression, or mood instability
We support patients in recognizing their patterns, building authentic self-worth, and reducing reliance on external validation or dramatic expression.
Local Mental Health Support in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, and particularly in Essex County, access to specialized care for personality disorders remains limited. Many people with HPD go undiagnosed or receive general care for anxiety or mood disorders without addressing core relational and identity issues.
Serenity at Summit provides:
- Short-term, focused residential programming without the need for substance use treatment
- Expertise in Cluster B diagnoses and emotional dysregulation
- Stigma-free care designed for long-term growth, not just crisis management
We support patients from across New England who seek a safe place to begin transforming deep-seated behavioral patterns.
Outpatient vs. Residential Treatment
| Feature | Outpatient Therapy | Residential Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Intensity | 1–2 sessions/week | Daily therapy and monitoring |
| Emotional Regulation Support | Relies on self-management | 24/7 support and structured routines |
| Best For | Mild to moderate relational issues | Severe instability, crisis, or treatment resistance |
| Environment | Flexible and community-based | Therapeutic, consistent, and immersive |
Discharge Planning and Long-Term Growth
Before discharge, patients and clinicians collaborate on a comprehensive aftercare plan.
This plan includes:
- Referrals to outpatient DBT or trauma-informed therapists
- Follow-up psychiatric care if medication is prescribed
- Family education and boundary-setting support
- Skills toolkits and emotional safety plans
- Connection to peer support or therapeutic groups
We aim to ensure patients leave with insight, skills, and support systems that help them maintain progress and prevent relapse.
Recovery Through Emotional Clarity
Histrionic Personality Disorder is treatable. Patients can build identity from within with structured support, develop healthier relationships, and reduce reliance on attention or external validation. At Serenity at Summit in Haverhill, MA, we offer a supportive, clinically rigorous program where emotional healing begins with compassion, consistency, and genuine connection.
📍 Address: 61 Brown Street, Haverhill, MA 01830
📞 Call: 978-312-9830
🌐 Website: www.serenityatsummit.com
Contact Serenity At Summit
If you or a loved one may be struggling with Histrionic Personality Disorder, contact us today. Let Serenity at Summit help you find emotional balance, connection, and hope.
Your story doesn’t have to be dictated by fear of rejection. We’re here to help you write a new chapter, rooted in emotional strength and self-understanding.
