Dependent personality disorder is characterized by an excessive need to be cared for by other people, which leads the person with the disorder to be submissive and to exaggerate fear of separation.
Generally, this disorder appears in early adulthood, and can give rise to anxiety and depression and the treatment consists of psychotherapy sessions and, in some cases, medication administration, which must be prescribed by the psychiatrist.
What symptoms
The symptoms that are manifested in people with dependent personality disorder are difficulties in making simple decisions, which arise on a daily basis, without needing advice from other people, the need for other people to take responsibility for the various areas of their life, difficulty to disagree with others for fear of losing support or approval and difficulty to start new projects alone, because they lack self-confidence.
In addition, these people feel needy and go to extremes, like doing unpleasant things, to receive affection and support, they feel uncomfortable and helpless when they are alone, because they feel they are unable to take care of themselves, they have an excessive concern with the fear of being abandoned and when they go through the end of a relationship, they urgently look for another one, in order to receive affection and support.
Possible causes
It is not known for certain what is at the origin of the dependent personality disorder, but it is thought that this disorder may be related to biological factors and the environment in which the person is inserted, since childhood and the relationship with parents in that phase, as being extremely protective or very authoritarian, can have a great influence on the development of the individual.
Know other personality disorders that can be influenced by childhood.
How the treatment is done
Usually, treatment is performed when this disorder begins to have an impact on a person's life, which can damage relationships with other people and cause anxiety and depression.
Psychotherapy is the first-line treatment for dependent personality disorder and, during treatment, the person must take an active role and be accompanied by a psychologist or a psychiatrist, which will help the person to become more active and independent and getting more out of loving relationships
In some cases, it may be necessary to resort to pharmacological treatment. In these cases, the diagnosis of the disorder must be made by a psychiatrist, who will be the professional responsible for prescribing the drugs needed for treatment.
