Republic of the Philippines

Regional Trial Court

7th Judicial Region
Branch 20
Cebu City

Jefferson Cruz Ferrer,

Petitioner
Civil Case No. CV - 1004
for: Declaration of Nullity of Marriage
under Article 36 of the Family Code
-versus-

Cynthia Manalo-Ferrer,
Respondent.
x---------------------------------------------------------------//

Petition
for Declaration of Nullity of Marriage under Article 36 of the Family Code

Plaintiff Jefferson Ferrer through counsel, avers THAT –

Parties
1. The Case involves –
a. Jefferson Ferrer of legal age, Filipino, married to
Respondent and is a resident of 821-10 Nasipit
Talamban, Cebu City,1 but he may be served with the
Court’s summons, orders, decisions, resolutions and
other processes or documents through his counsel

1 Please see Annexes “A” to “C”: Proof of petitioner’s residency in Cebu City for at
least six (6) months
1
 Angot, Barranco, Ejan, Ragasa and Ramirez Law Firm
at 503 Club Ultima Tower II, Jones Avenue, Cebu City.
b. Cynthia Ferrer is also of legal age, Filipino, married to
Petitioner and a resident of #176, 7th street, San
Antonio, Apas, Cebu City, where she may be served with
the Court’s summons, orders, decisions, resolutions
and other processes or documents.

Statement of Facts
2. How the parties met. Jefferson Ferrer was born in the City of Cebu and
after graduating college in 2010, he worked at Marine Insurance
Corporation as an entry-level employee.
a. On March 2011, as a result of his exemplary performance in
work, he was recognized as the "Employee of the Month" for five
(5) consecutive months and was then promoted to Sales
Manager.
b. Afraid that his collegue will devote his entire time to his work,
his friend Marco Gomez, recommended that Jefferson to explore
his options through an online dating application called "Tinder"
for he and his wife met through the same and had a happy ending.
Out of courtesy, Jefferson made an account and started checking
on profiles of the opposite sex but didn't have courage to initiate
a conversation for he was reluctant and bashful.
c. Late April, he saw a notification in “Tinder,” and when he viewed
it, it was from Cynthia, now his wife, who initiated the
conversation asking him to be her friend.
d. According to Cynthia, she was a sales clerk at Ever Bilena
Cosmetics. She always ranked first in selling as she was vibrant,
good-looking and was good at communicating with her
customers.
e. Cynthia and Jefferson started talking more often from dusk until
dawn. This went on for more than a month until both decided
that they were compatible and that it was the right time for them
to arrange their first official date.
f. On May 14, they had their first date in Tides Shangri-la’s Mactan
Resort and Spa. Jefferson picked Cynthia up in his car, brought
flowers and chocolates. He also prepared a present as he was
prepared to ask him to be his girlfriend that same day. The
moment they saw each other, they instantly ‘clicked’ and saw
‘sparks flying’ and they were both so sure that they would spend
their whole lives together. That same night, Cynthia indeed
agreed to be Jefferson’s girlfriend.

2
 g. On June 1, 2011, the couple decided to live together in Jefferson’s
house. They were sweet together and invited guests over for
parties quite often.
h. Throughout their relationship as lovers, Jefferson showered
Cynthia with compliments and sweet gestures. He would
occasionally give her roses, morning kisses everyday upon
waking up and would make sure he gets to tuck in her to bed.
i. On December 25, 2011, which is also Jefferson's birthday, he
proposed to her to marry him. Cynthia said yes and was given a
5-karat ring with a promise of a lifetime together. Jefferson also
surprised her with a key to a house he bought in Talamban where
they will live after their wedding.
j. On February 28, 2012, Cynthia found out that she was 3 weeks
pregnant with Jefferson’s child. This made Jefferson love her
even more and became a compelling reason for him to marry her
as soon as possible.
k. On June 4, 2012, their marriage was celebrated and was
solemnized by Mayor Alicio Montemayor in his office in the Cebu
City Hall. They were with their respective colleagues Marco
Gomez and Juliet Reyes who served as witnesses.2
l. Looking displeased with the civil wedding, Cynthia demanded
for a church wedding grand enough for their family and friends
to be able to talk about it for a long while. Afraid that it would
cause too much stress to Cynthia who was carrying their child,
Jefferson arranged a church wedding at Our Lady of Sacred Heart
Parish Church, Cebu City.
m. On August 02, 2012, Cynthia was rushed to the hospital due to
severe bleeding and continued abdominal and back pain. She had
an intrauterine fetal demise due to the poor condition of her
pregnancy.
3. The Marriage and The Concrete Manifestations of Cynthia’s
Psychological Incapacity.
a. The first few weeks of Jefferson and Cynthia’s marriage were
described by the petitioner as the ‘perfect marriage.’ Jefferson
would always cook Cynthia breakfast, give her massages and
take care of Cynthia’s cravings.
b. As she was pregnant with their child, Cynthia would constantly
ask Jefferson how she looked and if her belly is starting to appear
huge or if she was gaining weight or was now ugly now that she
is pregnant.
c. Cynthia started gaining more and more weight as her pregnancy
continues. One day, she told Jefferson that she wanted to get rid
of the baby somehow as she was not able to take good enough
pictures of herself because of her weight gain. Jefferson would

2 Please see Annex “D”: Marriage certificate

3
 always reassure her how she looked perfect despite the weight
gain and would attend to her every need, nonetheless. Suddenly,
Cynthia started to eat less, even almost just once a day as she was
determined to lose all the weight she gained.
d. One day, when Jefferson came home from work, he found Cynthia
in their balcony with an empty wine glass and an almost empty
wine bottle. Alarmed, Jefferson drove Cynthia to their
obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Martha Perez, to check the health
status of the child. After the check-up, Dr. Martha advised that
Cynthia take better care of the child as it did not get enough
nutrition and was not growing normally inside the womb. The
couple has been warned that should the unhealthy and
insufficient intake continue, the baby might have a stillbirth and
would never see light.
e. On the unfortunate morning of August 2, 2012, Cynthia was
experiencing excessive bleeding. When the couple rushed to the
hospital, Dr. Perez delivered the unfortunate news of the baby’s
death shortly after. However, Cynthia did not even shed a tear
upon hearing the news. She even smirked and asked Dr. Perez in
a happy tone if the baby was really dead and how long it would
take her to lose all the weight gained the past few months she
was pregnant.
f. Surprised of her reaction, Jefferson thought it was Cynthia’s way
of expressing despair, and so, he mourned the death of his child
alone, even burying the unborn baby alone.
g. A few days after the death of their child, Cynthia started shopping
for clothes, makeup, bags and shoes online. She keeps telling
Jefferson that these are things she needed for work. Convinced
and worried that if Cynthia cannot cope up with the death of the
baby, she would fall into depression, Jefferson gave her all the
money she needed for all her purchases.
h. After a month, the spouses always engaged in heated arguments
caused by Cynthia’s overspending as it affected their finances in
their daily needs and other future investments as a couple.
i. More often, Cynthia came home late and drunk, after a night of
partying with some random friends, or with clients from work.
Jefferson would find her screaming outside their door or dancing
on the road as he waits for her to come home from work.
j. Cynthia would often bring male clients to their conjugal dwelling
telling Jefferson that she always forgets to bring some cosmetic
products to her workplace, and that she has no other choice but
to bring her clients home to show them the products. However,
Jefferson discovered that Cynthia did not really work as a Sales
Clerk at Ever Bilena Cosmetics but was working as an entertainer
in a nightclub called Planet XYZ.
k. When Jefferson found out about Cynthia’s real work, he asked
her to leave her job in the nightclub and get a decent job, as there

4
 was a job opening at his own company available for her. He even
offered Cynthia to start her own business with the money that he
has saved. This offer was refused by Cynthia who continued
working in the nightclub. Cynthia insists that in her current job,
she shines like a star on stage and that she is a crowd favorite.
She even offers special services to some customers in their
homes, telling Jefferson that this job was her calling.
l. Moreover, Jefferson even discovered Cynthia’s several social
media accounts like Facebook and Instagram wherein she
presented herself as a single woman and had been chatting with
several men using those applications. He also found out that
Cynthia was actively using dating applications such as Tinder,
FindAdultMen.com and OkCupid, where her seductive and
barely dressed pictures were posted.
m. For several months, Cynthia refused to have sexual intercourse
with Jefferson. Wanting to keep trying to make their family,
Jefferson pursues Cynthia day and night, but she refuses him
because she does not want to gain any more weight that comes
along with her pregnancy. She gets angry easily over the slightest
provocation or for no reason at all. She was cold and apathetic
towards the petitioner.
n. On August 13, 2014, Jefferson decided to confront Cynthia to
clear the doubts he had about her job and her behavior. However,
after such confrontation, Cynthia even confidently confessed her
illicit relationship with a Japanese man, and two other men.
Cynthia did not even ask for Jefferson’s forgiveness because
according to her, this did not harm their marriage.
o. Two weeks thereafter or on August 27, 2014, Jefferson found
Cynthia’s Japanese lover in their house. To his surprise, Cynthia
introduced him to her lover as her elder brother. This caused
petitioner so much stress and agony that he got hospitalized for
two weeks.
p. Jefferson still expressed his willingness to forgive Cynthia, but
she chose to run away from the marriage. Cynthia left the
conjugal dwelling and cohabited with her Japanese lover.

4. Cynthia’s Failure to Comply with the Marital Obligations. With

Cynthia’s abandonment of the conjugal dwelling and insensitivity to her
husband’s feelings, among others, she has failed to comply with her
marital obligation to live together with her husband and to observe
mutual love, respect and fidelity, and render mutual help and support.
a. Before Cynthia left the conjugal home, despite Jefferson’s effort
to make amends, she pushes him away with harsh and foul
words. She told Jefferson that she had no intention of marrying

5
 him in the first place and thought their marriage was just
something he did to please her.
b. Cynthia tells Jefferson that she did love him, but she may come
home from time to time, if he was willing that she stay with him
for a few days and return to her Japanese lover on some other
days.
c. She told him that she cannot stay in the marriage because it felt
like a routine, and that she wanted a big and extravagant
romance, which she finds with her Japanese lover together with
her other boyfriends.
d. Jefferson warns her of other people’s opinion of her and subtly
tells her that whatever she is doing may still be forgiven by him
for as long as she cuts all ties with the other men and remain loyal
to him as they had promised in the altar, but she refused him at
once.

Cause of Action:
Jefferson and Cynthia’s Marriage is void under Article 36 of the Family
Code

5. Cynthia’s psychological incapacity is grave, incurable and existing

at the time of the celebration of the marriage. Cynthia’s psychological
incapacity is too grave that it seriously impaired her relationship with her
husband and caused her failure to discharge the obligations of marriage
which eventually resulted to its breakdown.
a. Her incapacity is incurable because it is rooted on her
personality disorder. It is existing at the time of the celebration
of their marriage because her personality disorder started
during her teenage years.
b. Cynthia is the youngest child, a sweet daughter, and a favorite
sister by her two older brothers. She has been showered with
love by her family since birth. However, when his father was out
of work when she was just twelve (12) years old, he became
violent in their home and started physically and verbally abusing
her mom, until she and her brothers became victims of such
abuses as well.
c. According to her brother, when she turned sixteen (16) years
old, several boys in school courted her, and since she loved the
attention, she always had three or four boyfriends at a time.
When the others find out that he is not the only boyfriend she
has, she would ask if he was fine with her other ones or she
would break up with them if they were not fine with such
arrangements.

6
 d. At the highlight of dating sites when she turned eighteen (18)
years old, she was one of the most popular candidates, and
continued to have three or more relationships online or in
reality. She would always initiate the conversation and like
having to meet them on several dates.
e. She also worked at a nightclub in Cebu City and she described it
as the perfect workplace as she can wear extravagant and
extremely showy costumes while she dances in the middle of the
stage. She often has late night drinks with the first male customer
that catches her eyes.
f. While she initiated the conversation with Jefferson and married
him at the age of nineteen (19), she thought that this was just one
of her other relationships at the time and did not think that he
would ask her to marry him. She loved all the attention and
efforts of her husband when they were dating but hated the fact
that she had to listen to his comments and constructive criticisms
about her job and other relationship. Cynthia thinks that she is
not doing anything wrong and that Jefferson should support her
if he truly loves her.

Summary
The marriage between Jefferson C. Ferrer and Cynthia M. Ferrer
celebrated on 4 July, 2012 is void ab initio under Article 36 of the
Family Code

6. All told, this psychological incapacity of Cynthia and its being grave,
incurable and having existed prior to the marriage, make her
incapable of giving meaning and significance to his marital vows and to
married life in general. When she was pursued by Jefferson and later was
proposed to be married to him, Cynthia had no intention or capacity to
be bound by the responsibilities and obligations consequent to marriage.
7. Cynthia is incapable of rendering love, support and fidelity. She
was only looking for fun and excitement. This marriage was void from the
very beginning.
8. The couple during their marriage has not acquired any property.
9. The Church Annulment. The spouses were granted a Church
Annulment by the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Cebu
which decreed the invalidity of the marriage in question in a Conclusion
dated 30 March 2016, citing the "lack of due discretion" on the part of
respondent. Such decree of nullity was affirmed by both the National
Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal, and the Roman Rota of the Vatican.

7
10. The Psychological Report. The petitioner had engaged the services
of Dr. Margie L. Sy, Clinical Psychologist, for the determination of
psychological evaluation of both parties, who will be presented as an
expert witness in support of the instant petition.
a. Based on the results of the psychological tests and interview on
the parties and the brother of the respondent, as well as based
on the background data gathered and marital history of the
parties, the findings of Dr. Sy are reproduced in the succeeding
paragraphs hereinbelow, culled from the Report of Dr. Sy,
attached as Annex “E” hereof, to wit:
After a thorough analysis of the data presented, it is
revealed that the eventual shattering of the conjugal
partnership between Jefferson Ferrer and Cynthia Manalo is
brought forth by the psychological incapacity of the
Respondent. The respondent is afflicted with a debilitating
psychological condition, which made her inept to be actively
part of a relationship where mutuality is founded and
required.

b. The reported behavioral manifestations of the petitioner

satisfies the criteria of a “Histrionic personality disorder (HPD)”.
This personality disorder caused the petitioner to be
psychologically incapacitated to comply with the essential
obligations of marriage.
c. Dr. Sy characterized the psychological incapacitation of the
petitioner as follows:
Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is defined as a
personality disorder characterized by a pattern of excessive
attention-seeking emotions, usually beginning in early
adulthood, including inappropriately seductive behavior
and an excessive need for approval. People with these
disorders have intense, unstable emotions and distorted
self-images. For people with histrionic personality disorder,
their self-esteem depends on the approval of others and
does not arise from a true feeling of self-worth. They have
an overwhelming desire to be noticed, and often behave
dramatically or inappropriately to get attention.

d. The personality disorder of Cynthia is a by-product of the

unfavorable experiences and negative exposures she had during
his childhood and adolescent years.

8
 PRAYER
WHEREFORE, in view of the foregoing considerations, it is
prayed that the parties’ marriage celebrated on 4 July 2012 be declared
an absolute nullity per Article 36 of the Family Code, based on the fact
that Respondent is psychologically incapacitated to comply and perform
the essential obligations of marriage.

All other reliefs just and equitable under the foregoing are
also prayed for.

21 December 2018. Cebu City, Philippines.

Angot, Barranco, Ejan, Ragasa

and Ramirez Law Firm at 503
Club Ultima Tower II, Jones
Avenue, Cebu City

by:

ATTY. LADYLOU G. ANGOT

Counsel for Plaintiff
Roll No. 24309
IBP No. 227745
PTR No. 98782
MCLE Exempt – Admitted in 2017

9
 VERIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION OF NON-FORUM SHOPPING
I, Jefferson Ferrer, Filipino, of legal age, married and a resident of
Talamban, Cebu City after having duly sworn to in accordance with law,
do hereby depose and state:

1. That I am the Petitioner in the above-entitled case;

2. That I have caused the preparation and filing of the foregoing
Petition and I have read all the allegations therein which are
true and correct based on my personal knowledge and authentic
documents;
3. That I further certify that there is no pending action or
proceeding involving the same issues in the Supreme Court,
Court of Appeals, or any other tribunal or agency. If I should
thereafter learn that the same or similar action is pending, I
shall undertake to inform the Honorable Court of this fact within
five (5) days therefrom.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto affixed my signature this 8th day
of November in 2018.

JEFFERSON CRUZ FERRER

Affiant
SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN TO before me this 8th day of
November, in 2018 with Driver’s License No. 13579086 , valid until May
24, 2021 and I hereby certify that I personally examined the affiant herein
and that I am fully satisfied that she voluntarily executed the foregoing
petition and she understood all the allegations herein.

ATTY. CHARMAINE B. RAGASA

Roll No. 24301
IBP No. 227737
PTR No. 98736
MCLE Exempt – Admitted in 2017
Doc. No. 586;
Page No. 784;
Book No. 969;
Series of 2018.

10
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES)
CITY OF CEBU) SS.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
BEFORE ME, A Notary public in and for the City of Cebu and the
Province of Cebu this 15th day of December 2018, personally came and
appeared Jefferson C. Ferrer, with Driver’s License ID No. D11-125477
issued by the Land Transportation Office and valid until May 01,2020, at
Cebu City, bearing her photograph and signature, known to me as the
same person who personally signed the foregoing instrument which he
acknowledged to me as his free and voluntary act and deed, consisting
only of twenty-one (21) pages including this page in which this
Acknowledgment is written, duly signed by him and his instrumental
witnesses on each and every page thereof.

WITNESS MY HAND AND SEAL this 8th day of November, 2018 at Cebu
City.

ATTY. JUAN A. PEREZ

Notary Public
My commission expires on
December 31, 2020
PTR No. 906760 issued Jan 07, 2018
IBP No. 918300 Roll No. 13466
Doc. No. 546;
Page No. 744;
Book No. 989;
Series of 2018.

11
 JURAT
SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN TO before me this 8th day of
November, in 2018 in the City of Cebu, by Jefferson C. Ferrer with
Driver’s License No. 13579086 , valid until May 24, 2021 at Cebu City.

ATTY. JUAN A. PEREZ

Notary Public
My commission expires on
December 31, 2020
PTR No. 906760 issued Jan 07, 2018
IBP No. 918300 Roll No. 13466
Doc. No. 545;
Page No. 745;
Book No. 983;
Series of 2018.

12
 ANNEX “A”: Barangay
Residency Certification
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES CITY OF CEBU
BARANGAY TALAMBAN
OFFICE OF THE PUNONG BARANGAY

CERTIFICATION
(Residency)

To Whom It May Concern:

This is to certify that Mr. Jefferson Ferrer, of legal age, is a bona fide resident
of Barangay Talamban, Cebu City since March 2012. The said person is of good
moral character and an active member of the community. Below is Mr. Ferrer’s
exact address:

This certification is being issued upon the request of above-named person for
whatever purposes it may serve him best.
Given this 8th day of August 2018 at Barangay Talamban, Cebu City.

Hon. Dario B. Arcilla

Punong Barangay

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me, this 8th day of August 2018, by
Jefferson Ferrer who exhibited to me (his/her) Community Tax Certificate No.
55765 issued at Cebu City, Philippines

Doc. No. 33
Page No. 2
Book No. 47
Series of 2018

i
 ANNEX “B”: Sworn Confirmation of Counsel on Record
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES)
CITY OF CEBU) SS.
SWORN STATEMENT OF COUNSEL
I, LADY LOU G. ANGOT, Filipino citizen, of legal age and with
residence at Block 34 Lot 10 Doña Rita Village, Banilad, Cebu City, Cebu,
after having been duly sworn in accordance with the law, hereby depose
and say:
That I, LADY LOU G. ANGOT, single and of legal age, a lawyer and a
senior partner at ANGOT, BARRANCO, EJAN, RAGASA and RAMIREZ Law
Firm with office address at 503 Club Ultima Tower II, Jones Avenue, Cebu
City, Cebu.
That I personally know JEFFERSON C. FERRER, the person named
as petitioner in the complaint, with residence at 821-10 Nasipit,
Talamban, Cebu City, Cebu.
That I personally know that the petitioner has been a resident of
the said address for at least six (6) months prior to the filing of the
petition.

ATTY. LADY LOU G. ANGOT

Affiant

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN TO BEFORE ME, A Notary public in and

for the City of Cebu and the Province of Cebu this 15th day of December
2018. Affiant personally came and appeared with Driver’s License ID No.
D11-125477 issued by the Land Transportation Office and valid until May
01,2020, at Cebu City, bearing her photograph and signature, known to
me as the same person who personally signed the foregoing instrument
before me and avowed under penalty of law to the whole truth of the
contents of said instrument.

ATTY. JUAN A. PEREZ

Notary Public
My commission expires on December 31,
2020
PTR No. 906760 issued Jan 07, 2018
IBP No. 918300 Roll No. 13466
Doc. No. 546;
Page No. 744;
Book No. 989;
Series of 2018

ii
ANNEX “C”: Petitioner’s Government I.D.

iii
ANNEX “D”: Marriage Certificate of Jefferson and Cynthia

iv
 OATH OF SOLEMNIZING OFFICER

I, Rev. Fr. Folipo Gonzolos, solemnizing officer, do solemnly swear:

That I have ascertained the qualifications of the contracting parties and have found no legal impediment for them to marry as required by
Art. 34 of the Family Code;

That this marriage was performed in articulo mortis;

And that I took the necessary steps to ascertain the ages and relationships of the contracting parties and that neither of them are under any
legal impediment to marry each other.

………………………………………
Signature of Solemnizing Officer

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 12 day of July, 2004, who exhibited to me his Community Tax No. 5466747 issued on March 28, 2000 at
Cebu City_.

_____________________________________________________________

Signature over Printed Name of Administering Officer whose

Commission Expires on _____________________________

Doc. No. 555

Page No. 21
Book No. 34
Series of 2004

NOTE – In case of a marriage on the point of death, when the dying party, being physically unable, cannot sign the Instrument by signature or mark, it shall be
sufficient for one of the witnesses to the marriage to sign in his name, which in fact shall be attested by the person solemnizing the marriage as follows:

I HEREBY CERTIFY that the contracting party …………………………………………………………..

being on the point of death and physically unable to sign the foregoing marriage contract by signature or mark, one of the witnesses to the marriage signed fro him
or her by writing the dying party’s name and beneath it, the witness’ own signature preceded by the preposition ‘By’.

……………………………………………………...
Signature and Printed Named of Solemnizing Officer

v
 ANNEX “E”: Report of Psychological Assessment
REPORT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

Confidential Material

NAME: Cynthia M. Ferrer

DATE OF BIRTH: December 25, 1988
CHRONOLOGICAL AGE: 29 Years Old and 11 Months
DATES OF ASSESSMENT: November 22, 2018
DATE OF REPORT: December 6, 2018
PREPARED BY: Dr. Margie Sy

IDENTIFYING DATA AND REASON FOR REFERRAL:

The patient, Cynthia Ferrer, has been referred to be examined by her
husband, Jefferson Ferrer to test her fitness in continuing marriage with him.
Her traits have been said to include a pattern of excessive attention-seeking
emotions, including inappropriately seductive behavior and an excessive need
for approval.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Personality is the combination of thoughts, emotions and behaviors that
makes you unique. It's the way you view, understand and relate to the outside
world, as well as how you see yourself. Personality forms during childhood,
shaped through an interaction of:

• Your genes. Certain personality traits may be passed on to you by your

parents through inherited genes. These traits are sometimes called your
temperament.
• Your environment. This involves the surroundings you grew up in,
events that occurred, and relationships with family members and others.

Personality disorders are thought to be caused by a combination of these

genetic and environmental influences. Your genes may make you vulnerable to
developing a personality disorder, and a life situation may trigger the actual
development.

Histrionic personality disorder is characterized by a pervasive pattern

of excessive emotionality and attention seeking. Diagnosis is by clinical criteria.
Treatment is with psychodynamic psychotherapy. The therapist may start by
encouraging patients to substitute speech for behavior, and thus, patients can
understand themselves and communicate with others in a less dramatic way.
Then, the therapist can help patients realize how their histrionic behaviors are
a maladaptive way to attract the attention of others and to manage their self-
esteem.

vi
Medical and Development History:

In many cases, people with histrionic personality disorder have good social
skills; however, they tend to use these skills to manipulate others so that they
can be the center of attention.

A person with this disorder might also:

• Be uncomfortable unless he or she is the center of attention

• Dress provocatively and/or exhibit inappropriately seductive or
flirtatious behavior
• Shift emotions rapidly
• Act very dramatically—as though performing before an audience—with
exaggerated emotions and expressions, yet appears to lack sincerity
• Be overly concerned with physical appearance
• Constantly seek reassurance or approval
• Be gullible and easily influenced by others
• Be excessively sensitive to criticism or disapproval
• Have a low tolerance for frustration and be easily bored by routine, often
beginning projects without finishing them or skipping from one event to
another
• Not think before acting
• Make rash decisions
• Be self-centered and rarely show concern for others
• Have difficulty maintaining relationships, often seeming fake or shallow
in their dealings with others
• Threaten or attempt suicide to get attention

Estimated prevalence is < 2% of the general population. It is diagnosed more

often in women, but this finding may reflect only a greater prevalence among
women in clinical settings, where the data were obtained. In some studies,
prevalence in women and men was similar.

Family and Social History:

Although the precise cause of personality disorders is not known, certain
factors seem to increase the risk of developing or triggering personality
disorders, including:

• Family history of personality disorders or other mental illness

• Abusive, unstable or chaotic family life during childhood
• Being diagnosed with childhood conduct disorder
• Variations in brain chemistry and structure

The patient, Cynthia Ferrer, through the interview and tests conducted
had a history of being physically and verbally abused by her father in her early
adolescent years. When she started receiving a lot of attention by many of her
suitors, this was where her personality disorder commenced and had

vii
incorporated itself in her life. It was part of her coping mechanism and a way
of self-healing from the scars she received rooted from the abuses she had
experienced.

Summary of Previous Evaluations:

Cynthia, a patient with histrionic personality disorder, uses her physical
appearance, acting in inappropriately seductive or provocative ways, to gain
the attention of others. She lacks a sense of self-direction and is highly
suggestible, often acting submissively to retain the attention of others. As per
observation, she continually demands to be the center of attention and often
become depressed when she is not. She is often lively, dramatic, enthusiastic,
and flirtatious and sometimes charm new acquaintances.
She would often dress and act in inappropriately seductive and provocative
ways, not just with potential romantic interests, but in many. She wants to
impress others with her appearance and so are often preoccupied with how
they look.
Her expression of emotion may be shallow (turned off and on too quickly) and
exaggerated. She would speak dramatically, expressing strong opinions, but
with few facts or details to support their opinions.
Patients with histrionic personality disorder are easily influenced by others
and by current trends. They tend to be too trusting, especially of authority
figures who, they think, may be able to solve all their problems. They often
think relationships are closer than they are. They crave novelty and tend to
bore easily. Thus, they may change jobs and friends frequently. Delayed
gratification is very frustrating to them, so their actions are often motivated by
obtaining immediate satisfaction.
Achieving emotional or sexual intimacy may be difficult. Patients may, often
without being aware of it, play a role (eg, victim). They may try to control their
partner using seductiveness or emotional manipulations while becoming very
dependent on the partner.

Testing Behavior:
RESULTS FROM TESTING
Cynthia, has the following traits which confirms that she suffers from
histrionic personality disorder:
✓ Discomfort when they are not the center of attention
✓ Interaction with others that is inappropriately sexually seductive
or provocative
✓ Rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions
✓ Consistent use of physical appearance to call attention to
themselves
✓ Speech that is extremely impressionistic and vague
✓ Self-dramatization, theatricality, and extravagant expression of
emotion
✓ Suggestibility (easily influenced by others or situations)
✓ Interpretation of relationships as more intimate than they

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SUMMARY
After a thorough analysis of the data presented, it is revealed that the eventual
shattering of the conjugal partnership between Jefferson Ferrer and Cynthia
Ferrer is brought forth by the psychological incapacity of the Respondent. The
respondent is afflicted with a debilitating psychological condition, which made
her inept to be actively part of a relationship where mutuality is founded and
required.
That, as a product of her unfavorable experiences and negative
exposures of her childhood and adolescent years, such personality disorder is
merged with her reality and that it is so grave, it cannot be cured by mere
clinical sessions but instead, requires a higher form of treatment.

PREPARED BY:

DR. MARGIE SY

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