Dependent Personality Disorder - Symptoms, Causes, Risks & Treatments

Dependent personality disorder (DPD) is a condition in which a person suffers extreme anxiety about living independently. As the name suggests, they constantly need affirmation of their existence depending on others.

Biological and environmental factors cater to this disorder. Therefore, the treatment of this condition includes therapy and medication. These treatments may provide notable relief to the severity of the symptoms.

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What Is Dependent Personality Disorder?

Cluster C personality disorder is a mental health condition subject to unhealthy and rigid thought processes. This disorder involves a person being submissive and clingy out of bounds to people close to them.

People with this disorder depend excessively on others for self-care and lack self-confidence considerably. They constantly seek self-assurance from others and nurture a fear of the inability to fight in adverse circumstances.

What Are the Symptoms of Dependent Personality Disorder?

The symptoms of DPD entail the following:

A person fears being left alone or abandoned, along with a constant feeling of helplessness.
People with this disorder constantly avoid responsibilities.
This disorder may even root in pessimistic.
A person with this disorder is too sensitive towards criticism.
They face substantial difficulty in going on with everyday life.

What Are the Causes of Dependent Personality Disorder?

The causes of DPD include the following:

Genetic factors or a family history of this disorder or other mental conditions may lead to the development of the state.
Traumatic experiences in childhood or abusive relationships may cause this disorder.

What Are the Risk Factors of Dependent Personality Disorder?

The risks related to DPD are as follows:

Often prevalent in women than men.
May lead to major depressive disorders.

How to Diagnose Dependent Personality Disorder?

Healthcare professionals administer the following process to diagnose DPD:

While referring to a general physician at the initial stage, they will perform a thorough physical examination to determine if any underlying physical issue exists causing this disorder.
The primary physician may refer you to a mental healthcare expert for psychiatric assessments, including discussing feelings and driven behaviour. Information from the patient's family is also taken into account.
Performing a comparative analysis of the symptoms with those previously recorded signs of patients with similar disorders.

How to Treat Dependent Personality Disorder?

The condition of DPD incorporates the following types of treatment procedures.

Psychotherapy

This treatment involves cognitive behavioural therapy, which involves one-on-one discussions on the feelings and behaviour of the patient. This is performed to devise solutions to the problematic patterns of thoughts and the driven behaviour in the patient.

Medication

Prescribed medicines such as mood stabilisers, anti-anxiety, anti-depressants and anti-psychotics help deal with the severity of the symptoms, bringing them down considerably. In addition, anti-depressants, including fluoxetine (Prozac®), are also prescribed at certain junctures.

Doctors may even prescribe sedatives such as alprazolam (Xanax®) to help deal with sleep disturbances caused by mental health conditions.

When to See a Doctor?

Seek help from a mental healthcare expert if the following symptoms appear:

A person experiencing frequent mood swings may have DPD.
Frequent feelings of anxiety cater to this disorder.
Low appetite or a change in the same observed in a person may indicate the onset of this disorder.
Nurturing negative thoughts and having trouble concentrating may indicate you need to see a doctor.

How to Manage and Prevent Dependent Personality Disorder?

Though DPD is a personality disorder that may last a lifetime, seeking proper medical consultation may help improve the condition considerably. These processes include the previously discussed treatments associated with healthy habits:

Getting enough sleep, having a healthy diet and exercising as much as required.
Establishing a healthy relationship with family and friends.
Taking part in extracurricular activities.
Avoid indulging in alcohol and drug abuse.

Nevertheless, a dependent personality disorder is relatively common, and people rarely seek treatment. This leads to the increased severity of the symptoms giving way to other chronic mental health disorders. Hence, it is necessary not to neglect the early symptoms of the condition and refer to a physician at the earliest to avoid adverse instances.

FAQs About Dependent Personality Disorder

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Is dependent personality disorder the most common personality disorder type?

No, this disorder is not the most common personality disorder. The most common personality disorders include borderline and antisocial personality disorders.

Can DPD be cured?

The condition-dependent personality disorder may last a lifetime, and treatment for the same includes therapy and medication, which help manage this disorder to a substantial extent.