Does Miley Cyrus Have Histrionic Personality Disorder, or Is She Just Plain Annoying?
February 28, 2008 by Kristen King
Filed under Women's Health
I’ve seen snippets of Miley Cyrus in Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel and thought to myself, “I sincerely hope that’s an act.” She’s loud, obnoxious, rude, overly dramatic, and frankly quite grating at times, but I figured it was just the character. However, after watching Miley and her dad, country-music-star-turned-actor (and host of the new season of Nashville Star) Billy Ray Cyrus, on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night, I was floored, and a little concerned. (Update: The video of their interview was yanked from YouTube because of copyright issues, but if I find a new link I’ll update again.)
I can’t imagine what it’s like to be so famous at 15, to have a music career and a television career that keep you running 24/7 while you’re still trying to figure out teenage things like your period and boys and algebra and stuff. It could mess anyone up. But good lord, child, chill out! It was like she was on speed or something.
Miley talked a mile a minute, gestured expansively, and wouldn’t let her dad get a word in edgewise without redirecting attention back to herself (which, I was glad to see, Jay called her out on pretty blatantly). She interrupted Jay and Billy Ray all the time, put her father down in like every other sentence, and was just manic.
Oh, and then the musical performance. The girl has a set of pipes, no denying it. And she knows the appropriate way to perform onstage because when she’s being Hannah Montana, hero of the teen set, she looks like a normal human being. But what on earth was she doing last night? I wondered if Billy Ray was dying inside with how she was carrying on.
Every time she comes up, the media is talking about how Miley Cyrus is so grounded and such a good kid and so close with her dad, blah blah blah, but I have news for you, people. That kid is running the show. No, she’s not flashing her goodies to the paparazzi while she climbs in and out of limos or running wild at drunken parties (yes, I’m talking to you, Paris, Britney, and Lindsay), but there is something wrong, and I think there are some tough times coming for that family if they don’t reign her in.
So back to the histrionic personality disorder thing. Here’s what Psychology Today says about histrionic personality disorder, in part:
Individuals with Histrionic Personality Disorder exhibit excessive emotionalism — a tendency to regard things in an emotional manner — and are attention seekers. Behaviors may include constant seeking of approval or attention, self-dramatization, theatricality, and striking self-centeredness or sexual seductiveness in inappropriate situations, including social, occupational and professional relationships beyond what is appropriate for the social context. They may be lively and dramatic and initially charm new acquaintances by their enthusiasm, apparent openness, or flirtatiousness. They commandeer the role of “the life of the party”. Personal interests and conversation will be self-focused. They use physical appearance to draw attention to themselves. Their style of speech is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail.
Um, yes. When I think of histrionic personality disorder, I think of the stereotypical high school drama teacher, the one you see in movies (or, possibly in your yearbook if you still have it). You know what I’m talking about: heavy makeup, enormous jewelry, ridiculous outfits with blindingly bright colors, speech and physical affectations. Everything’s a crisis, it’s all about her, cries when the drama club does well or poorly, makes drawn-out speeches… You get the picture.
This does not bode well for America’s Tween Sweetheart. Would somebody please do something?
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Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King
Tags: hannah montana, miley cyrus, billy ray cyrus, miley and billy ray cyrus on jay leno, the tonight show with jay leno, histrionic personality disorder, britney spears, paris hilton, lindsay lohan, womens health, emotional health, commentary on young stars, young celebrities, womens health blog, lively women, kristen king
So much fabulous TV we’re missing out on over on this side of the pond…
PS - NBC appears to have yanked the YouTube video you linked to.
I haven’t really heard of anyone discussing histrionic personality disorder since college. I was a psy major. Interesting! I don’t know this chic though, so no idea on her.
oh jeez. I just watched the video (there is some cheap camcorder recording of the interview on youtube) and the girl was normal…heckling her dad, throwing in comments. Leave the poor thing alone…there is definitely no histrionic personality disorder. As for Jay Leno calling her out on not letting her dad talk…it was a small quip at the idea that Miley talks a lot. She’s a chatty teenager; she wasn’t being rude to her father.
You guys are just plain mean.Just leave her alone. Miley Cyrus is one of the best teen singers I know. What has she done to you to be insulted like that. All teenagers are chatty and I think she is just normal. Why don’t you’s just pick on someone your own size or nobody at all would be even better. How would you like to be insulted like that by someone else?
@Jul - Thanks for the heads up!
@Peggy - I knew there was a reason I was hanging onto those freshman psych books! LOL
@Lindy - Thanks for your comment. I think this is more than just the norm, though. I’ve seen several of her performances and appearances since then, and I do feel strongly about it. I think it’s okay to disagree though!
@Sarah - Thank you for reading and for commenting. I’m sorry you think I’m being mean. You’re right, it wasn’t very nice to say that Miley is “annoying” in the title, but really, I’m not trying to pick on her. I think there may actually be a problem here. She’s a talented, beautiful girl. I would hate to see her bright future be threatened by lack of awareness by her parents and the other people responsible for her if there really is something going on here.
Almost every teenager I know talks a lot (boys included). Maybe she was just nervous, I talk a lot when I’m nervous and most of my friends do it too. And who knows, maybe she does have some kind of disorder, but there’s really nothing wrong with that. I have AS, and I have to say, some of her behavior does seem a little bit like she could be on the spectrum, but that doesn’t neccessarily mean anything.
if you have a problem with me, don’t go trashtalking me on the internet. And i do not have histrionic personality disorder or am i annoying. I may like to talk alot, but at least i can say something to someones face.
Its not easy being young and famous. Hopefully she shows herself to be a strong individual.
I met Miley once when I was in California on vacation. I don’t know if she was having a bad day or not but when I asked for her autograph she gave me the fakest smile ever (like how you force it for picture day), autographed my paper, and said, “Now go.”
I threw the paper out.
MILEY IS SO ANNOYING!SHE IS SUCH A LOSER. JUST BECAUSE SHE FIXED HER TEETH DOES NOT MAKE HER PRETTY.
I think Miley’s right, ya’ll shouldn’t be trashtalking about her on the internet. And she is not annoyig in fact her show, and her music is great especially the episode with the jonas brothers that episode was hilarious, when she dressed up and was milo and lily was otis, that is my favorite episode.
Miley is not annoying, maybe your just mad that you ain’t famous like her.
I agree somewhat with the author. Histrionic starts in early and often goes dianogsed utl later in adulthood.
do you have a period
why don’t you guys like miley
areyou really miley cyrus?
howww old are you sarah?
what the hell is wrong with the person who wrote this crap? miley is the best actress/singer ever, and anyone who thinks anything different is simply JEALOUS!
the person who wrote this is a fag and must be really jealous of miley or they wouldn’t waste their precious time writing an article about her!
and Miley isn’t rude or obnoxious, she is just confident and sure of herself which is great to see in such a young person!
Miley is gonna be worth 1 billion dollars by the time she’s 18 yrs old AND THATS MORE THAN THE PERSON WHO WROTE THIS WILL EVER EARN!! so if Mileys so rich she must of done something right??! and this is just one person’s critical comment against billions of young fans who love her to death…so to the person who wrote this…get a life and stop complaining about successful people okay?
Emma,
Aren’t you just the sweetest thing? But I think you need to get out your dictionary, my darling. I am none of these things:
FAG –noun
1. Slang. a cigarette.
2. a fag end, as of cloth.
3. a rough or defective spot in a woven fabric; blemish; flaw.
4. Chiefly British. drudgery; toil.
5. British Informal. a younger pupil in a British public school required to perform certain menial tasks for, and submit to the hazing of, an older pupil.
6. a drudge.
(http://tinyurl.com/n4m2b)
But thank you for commenting all the same! I’m sure your parents are very proud of your kindness, reasonableness, and ability to craft meaningful, grammatically correct sentences.
Hugs and kisses,
Kristen
HA what a LOSER geez your a nerd, so nerdy infact that you have to use a dictionary to think of good comebacks!! shame!!!
yes u are in fact a ciggarette end and a terrible critic
Emma,
You sure told me! Thank goodness I have someone so generous and loving to show me how I’m a pathetic failure. I love your ironic sense of humor, too, what with your incorrect spelling and punctuation while you’re telling me what a loser I am. It’s so sweet that you go to all this effort to make me feel better about myself. Thank you!
Smooches,
Kristen
You’re welcome!
Well, first of all give the kid a break. She was just 15 (now 16). If the overwhelming majority of girls at that age weren’t overly emotional, self absorbed, drama queens perhaps programming like MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen wouldn’t be as popular as it is. Yet media glamourizes these little nightmares in Hello Kitty lip gloss, so we all must suffer. It is fair to point out that, without the pressure, fame or talent Miss Cyrus possesses, one of those girls manage to make Cyrus look like a porcelain doll.
Histrionic? No, 15 and insecure is much more likely. Also I find it of note to comment many psychologists find “histrionc personality disorder” perjorative considering it was a diagnosis only attributed to women and whose treatment, up until the early 1900’s, was a clinically and manually induced orgasm. Yeah, that’s right, get her off and she’ll calm down and shut up. Not very scientific. I just find it interesting, a female like yourself using that label.
now whos the attention seeker… shes just a talkative kid. i love her show, and she does have a very loud mouth, but your article…. wow. i just wasted five minutes of my life reading that.