title: Variability of mood and the diagnosis of hysterical personality disorder.
abstract: Twenty patients with the diagnosis hysterical personality disorder were compared with a matched control group pf patients with other personality and neurotic diagnoses. Subjects' moods were assessed with a visual analogue scale 4 times a day for 5 consecutive days. Patients with a primary discharge diagnosis of hysterical personality disorder showed greater variability of mood than controls. Since emotional lability is said to be a characteristic hysterical trait, the results are taken as empirical support for the validity of one of the clinical judgements inherent in the diagnostic process.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006677:Histrionic Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors