“Hamster Personality Disorder (HPD).

Diagnostic criteria:

1. Expressed sense of self as a pet hamster, more often metaphorical, but can be literal.
2. A desire to have an “owner” like a pet.
3. Feeling “small”, helpless and insignificant, difficulty in defining one’s place in the world.
4. Fear of rejection: efforts to avoid the real or illusory fate of being abandoned.
5. Strong dependence of self-esteem on the opinion of others.
6. Difficulty in establishing boundaries between one’s own personality and public perception, which affects the formation of self-identity.
7. Allowing others to make important decisions in one’s life, most often one chosen “owner”.
8. Can be easily influenced by other people or situations.
9. Difficulty controlling emotions, voice volume, and body language.
10. Tendency toward “hysterical” behavior, but fear of confrontation.
11. Interpreting relationships as more intimate than they are.
12. Difficulty functioning in daily life, needing help with basic needs.
13. Fear of large objects (megalophobia) (not required, but common).”

Coined by rq-qq on August 9, 2024.