Woman diagnosed with 'attention seeking' disorder after watching serial killer documentary

A woman who was told she had an attention-seeking personality disorder after watching a crime documentary about a murderer with the same condition said she was having 'intense' mood swings.

Dayzee Bell, 28, was diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder (HPD) in August 2024 by her psychiatrist. It's an enduring psychiatric condition characterised by a consistent pattern of attention-seeking behaviours and exaggerated emotional displays.

The content creator, who admitted she got married for 'validation' was watching the crime documentary series 'Deadly Women' when she started noticing similarities in her behaviour to those with HPD.

The episode in question focused on American killer Theresa Riggi, who had been diagnosed with the disorder after she stabbed her three children to death in 2010.

After discussing it with her psychiatrist, Dayzee recognised how in relationships, especially romantic ones, she required a lot of attention from her partner and said she demanded too much of their time.

She realised that all her her romantic relationships ended as a result of this behaviour and she says she no longer has any friends because of it.

Dayzee, from, Wisconsin, explained: "When I think back now, I definitely resonate with the dramatic nature of the disorder and having intense mood swings, especially while in relationships.

"I got married in 2021because I was so clingy and obsessive for that person's validation. We separated two years later and got officially divorced a year after that for the same reason all my relationships ended- my jealousy.

"I would be very concerned about my partner cheating on me and became excessively jealous."

"I didn't realise I was being annoying"

Dayzee said she now recognises where her emotional and dramatic behaviour was coming from. Even as a child she said she remembers constantly needing attention and having extreme emotional reactions to being chosen last in gym class.

“I didn’t feel like I was good enough in gym class when that would happen,” she said. “I never said anything when I didn’t get paired with anyone, I just kept it inside because I was shy. I didn’t act out or anything at school I just internalised everything.

“The other part with friends I believe they would get annoyed and stuff and that’s why they wouldn’t call and stuff. I ended up doing that a couple of years ago with a friend, showing up all the time to see if they were available. I didn’t realise I was being annoying I just wanted to hang out and stuff. I’ve stopped doing that."

She found herself becoming extremely jealous in relationships and went on to tie the knot in 2021. Dayzee said the disorder also affected her friendships and relationships with fellow dancers.

She said: "I was always wanting to tell people dramatic stories and cried in front of colleagues and friends alike, just for the attention. I'd especially try and organise to meet up with people one on one, because in groups I can easily feel left out.

"I would ask friends to stay back from work just to spend time with me, but after a while they all got sick of it. And texting/messaging became such a minefield for rejection, with any late reply making me feel like they didn't care at all.

"It's difficult to explain with HPD, because I really do feel these things, I just also want others to feel it with me."

"I lost my remaining friendships"

After she was diagnosed, Dayzee felt relief being able to put a name to these behaviours, but instead of working on improving immediately, she allowed herself to lean into it for about a year.

"It made a lot of sense after getting my diagnosis, but it didn't make me want to fix it," she explained. "I went all in on those feelings for a year, wanting to see how far it would go. In that time, I lost my remaining friendships and danced myself into surgery."

A keen aerial dancer, Dayzee performed on a carpel tunnel injury on her right wrist because of her desire for validation, but it became so bad it led to surgery on her wrist in June 2026.

During her recovery since the surgery, Dayzee has spent time focusing on validating herself, instead of seeking it out from others. She doesn't take any medication for this disorder specifically, so her treatment relies mostly on therapy with her psychiatrist. Now, she says she is looking to meet new friends and to get back out in the dating world.

She said: "Since my surgery, I've had to take a break for at least a couple months because I physically couldn't dance the same as before. In that time, I've been enjoying my own company more and making an effort to not look to others for attention or validation.

"I've been baking cakes, finding new shows to watch and singing a lot to keep myself occupied. I’ve realised this year I’m bisexual so I’m trying to find a woman right now to see.

“Because I don’t know how it will be with a woman as I’ve not dated them romantically. Technically I’m looking for friends on Tinder and I’ve actually started talking to one girl on TikTok. We’ve been connecting the last few days and it’s been really nice finally talking to a new friend”.