Dependent personality disorder (DPD) is one of the vital commonly diagnosed personality disorders. It results in feelings of helplessness, submissiveness, the must be cared for and constant reassurance, and the shortcoming to make on a regular basis decisions without excessive advice and reassurance from others.
This personality disorder occurs equally in men and ladies and typically becomes noticeable in young maturity or later, when vital adult relationships are formed.
People with DPD turn into overly emotionally depending on other people and go to great lengths to please others. People with DPD are likely to be needy, passive and clingy and fear separation. Other common characteristics of this personality disorder include:
- Inability to make decisions, even on a regular basis decisions comparable to what to wear, without the recommendation and reassurance of others
- Avoidance of adult responsibility through passive and helpless behavior; Dependence on a spouse or friend to make decisions comparable to where to work and live
- Severe fear of abandonment and a sense of devastation or helplessness when a relationship ends; An individual with DPD often moves straight into one other relationship when the connection ends.
- Hypersensitivity to criticism
- Pessimism and lack of self-confidence, including the idea that they’re unable to look after themselves
- Avoiding disagreements with others for fear of losing support or recognition
- Inability to start out projects or tasks because of lack of self-confidence
- Difficulty being alone
- Willingness to tolerate mistreatment and abuse from others
- Putting the needs of their caregivers ahead of their very own
- Tendency to be naive and fantasize
Although the precise explanation for DPD just isn’t known, it’s most definitely a mix of biological, developmental, temperamental, and psychological aspects. Some researchers imagine that an authoritarian or overprotective parenting style can result in the event of dependent personality traits in people vulnerable to the disorder.
A DPD diagnosis have to be distinguished from borderline personality disorder because each share common symptoms. In borderline personality disorder, the person reacts to fears of abandonment with feelings of anger and emptiness. In DPD, the person responds to the fear with submissiveness and seeks one other relationship to take care of their dependence.
If most or the entire symptoms of DPD (mentioned above) are present, the doctor will begin the assessment by taking a radical medical and psychiatric history and possibly a basic physical examination. Although there are not any laboratory tests to specifically diagnose personality disorders, the doctor can use various diagnostic tests to rule out a physical illness because the explanation for the symptoms.
If the doctor cannot discover a physical reason for the symptoms, she or he may refer the person to a psychiatrist, psychologist, or other health care skilled trained to diagnose and treat mental illness. Psychiatrists and psychologists use specially designed interview and assessment tools to judge an individual for a personality disorder.
As with many personality disorders, individuals with DPD generally don’t seek treatment for the disorder itself. Rather, they could seek treatment when an issue of their life—which frequently stems from considering or behavior related to the disorder—becomes overwhelming they usually are not any longer in a position to cope. People with DPD are likely to develop depression or anxiety, symptoms that may lead the person to hunt help.
Psychotherapy (a type of counseling) is the fundamental treatment modality for DPD. The goal of therapy is to assist the person with DPD turn into more lively and independent and learn to develop healthy relationships. Short-term therapy with specific goals is preferred when the main target is on managing behaviors that interfere with functioning. It is commonly useful for therapist and patient to concentrate to the therapist's role together to discover and address ways during which the patient may develop within the treatment relationship the identical style of passive trust that happens outside of treatment. Specific strategies might include assertiveness training to assist the person with DPD develop self-confidence, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to assist someone develop recent attitudes and perspectives about themselves in relation to other people and experiences . More significant change in an individual's personality structure is normally sought through long-term psychoanalytic or psychodynamic psychotherapy, which examines early developmental experiences as they could influence the formation of defense mechanisms, coping styles, and patterns of attachment and intimacy in close relationships.
Medications will be used to treat individuals with DPD who also suffer from related problems comparable to depression or anxiety. However, drug therapy alone doesn’t typically treat the core problems attributable to personality disorders. Additionally, medications must be fastidiously monitored because individuals with DPD turn into depending on them or abuse certain prescription medications.
People with DPD are in danger for depression, anxiety disorders and phobias, and substance abuse. They are also prone to abuse because they could be willing to do virtually anything to take care of a relationship with a dominant partner or authority figure.
With psychotherapy (counseling), many individuals with DPD can learn to make more independent decisions of their lives.
Although stopping the disorder is probably not possible, treating DPD can sometimes allow an individual liable to the disorder to learn more productive ways of coping with situations.
The development of personality structure is a fancy process that begins at a young age. Psychotherapy aimed toward changing personality could also be more successful whether it is began early, the patient is very motivated to vary, and there may be a powerful working relationship between therapist and patient.