Dependent Personality Disorder

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Dependent Personality Disorder

• By Daniella Perez

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What is it?
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Symptoms

• Has difficulty making everyday decisions.
• Needs others to assume responsibility.
• Has difficulty expressing disagreement with
  others because of fear of loss of support or
  approval.
• Has difficulty initiating projects or doing
  things on his or her own.

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More

• Goes to excessive lengths to obtain nurturance
  and support from others.
• Feels uncomfortable or helpless when alone.
• Urgently seeks another relationship.
• Is unrealistically preoccupied with fears of
  being left to take care of himself or herself.

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Can be confused with

• Mood Disorders
• Agoraphobia
• general medical conditions
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Avoidant Personality Disorder

• Panic Disorder
• Personality Disorder
• Personality Change Due to a General Medical
  Condition
• Symptoms that may develop in association with
  chronic substance use.

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Etiology (Learning)

• This behavior could be learned by family members.
• Parents with this type of relationship.
• Role modeling older siblings.

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Treatments (learning)

• How can this be cured?
• With therapies involving seeing what other types
  of relationships look like.
• Being exposed to a functional relationship and
  how it works.
• How?
• With a psychotherapist

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Etiology (Cognitive)

• This disorder could also be developed due to need
  of attention.
• People being neglected by their parents.
• People that have experienced abuses
• Verbally
• Physically
• Emotionally
• Past experiences (liked the feeling).

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Treatments (cognitive)

• Self-help methods for the treatment of this
  disorder are often overlooked
• Individuals should likely avoid using a support
  group as the only means of treatment for this
  disorder, since it is likely to encourage
  additional dependent relationships.

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Etiology (biological)

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Treatments (Biological)

• Sedative drug abuse and overdose is common.
• Anti-anxiety agents and antidepressants.
• Physicians should resist the temptation to over
  prescribe to someone with this disorder.

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• Bibliography
• http//www.mentalhealth.com/rx/p23-pe09.html
• http//www.mentalhealth.com/dis-rs/frs-pe09.html
• http//www.toad.net/arcturus/dd/depend.htm2
• http//psychcentral.com/disorders/sx13t.htm