Dependent Personality Disorder

About Dependent Personality Disorder

Dependent personality disorder is a pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of, leading to submissive and clinging behavior and fears of separation, beginning by early adulthood. Features include difficulty making everyday decisions without excessive advice and reassurance, needing others to assume responsibility for major areas of life, difficulty expressing disagreement for fear of losing support, difficulty starting projects independently because of a lack of self confidence, going to excessive lengths to obtain support, feeling uncomfortable or helpless when alone, urgently seeking another relationship when a close one ends, and unrealistic preoccupation with fears of being left to care for oneself. DSM-5 groups it among the anxious and fearful personality disorders, together with avoidant and obsessive compulsive personality disorders. Cultural norms about dependence and deference vary, so behavior is judged against the cultural context of the person. The disorder often co occurs with depression, anxiety and other personality disorders, and people may remain in unhealthy or abusive relationships because of fear of being alone. Contributing factors may include temperament and overprotective or authoritarian parenting. Psychotherapy is the main treatment, including cognitive behavioral approaches that build independent decision making and assertiveness, and psychodynamic therapy, with care taken that the therapeutic relationship itself does not reinforce dependence.