If an adult in your life exhibits a persistent, intense fear of abandonment as well as an unshakeable belief that they are unable to care for themselves, they may have dependent personality disorder.
What is Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD)?
Dependent personality disorder (DPD) is a mental health condition that is characterized by a pervasive need to be taken care of by someone else.
As described in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), people who have DPD exhibit “submissive and clinging behavior and fears of separation.”
Symptoms of Dependent Personality Disorder
To be accurately diagnosed with dependent personality disorder, a person must meet at least five of the following criteria:
- Struggling to make everyday decisions without excessive guidance and reassurance from others
- Needing other people to take responsibility for them in most major parts of their life
- Finding it difficult to disagree with others due to fear of losing their support or approval
- Having trouble starting projects or engaging in other self-directed activities due to a lack of confidence in their own abilities and judgement
- Taking extreme measures to gain the support of others, even if it means volunteering to perform unpleasant tasks in exchange for nurturing.
- Feeling extremely uncomfortable or helpless when they are alone, because they don’t believe that they will be able to care for themselves
- Immediately and urgently attempting to find someone new to care for and support them when a close relationship ends
- Being preoccupied with excessive, unrealistic fears of circumstances that would require them to take care of themselves
Symptoms of dependent personality disorder typically begin to become apparent in early adulthood.
Causes of Dependent Personality Disorder
A person’s risk of developing dependent personality disorder can be influenced by a variety of personal and environmental factors, including:
- Having a parent or sibling with DPD or an anxiety disorder
- Having anxiety, depression, or another personality disorder
- History of abuse, neglect, and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
- Overly strict parents raised me and demanded obedience
- Enduring a long-term abusive relationship
Diagnosis of Dependent Personality Disorder
Qualified professionals can only diagnose DPD and other mental health disorders after conducting a thorough assessment, which may include elements such as:
- A clinical interview with the individual who is being evaluated
- Review of documentation from prior treatment (if applicable)
- Discussion with family members or other loved ones
- Completion of various psychological tests
During the interview (which is also commonly referred to as a mental status evaluation), the diagnostician will focus on areas such as:
- The patient’s appearance, including their attire, grooming, and hygiene
- Behaviors such as cooperation or opposition during the interview, as well as how the patient acts both with and without caregivers or loved ones being present
- Speech patterns, including tone of voice, rapidity of speech, word usage, and response time
- Motor activity such as restlessness, rigidity, tics, and grinding of the teeth
- Mood and emotional expressiveness through nonverbal cues
- Ability to organize their thoughts, express them in a logical manner, and remain on topic
- Content of the patient’s thoughts, including indications of suicidal ideation and/or delusions
- Indications that the patient is experiencing visual, auditory, or other hallucinations
- Cognition, which includes on areas such as alertness, memory, concentration, and abstract reasoning
- Insights, which involve the patient’s awareness of their mental health challenges and functional impairments
Differential Diagnosis: What’s The Difference Between BPD and DPD?
A crucial part of diagnosing someone with a mental health disorder is eliminating from consideration other conditions that have similar symptoms. Doctors refer to this as differential diagnosis.
For someone with DPD, the differential diagnosis process will typically include borderline personality disorder (BPD). Similarities between DPD and BPD include:
- Unhealthy relationships
- Fear of abandonment
- Low self-esteem
Key differences between dependent and borderline personality disorder include:
- Clinicians characterize BPD by fluctuations in mood and emotional expressiveness. People with DPD don’t typically experience mood swings or dramatic behavioral changes.
- People with BPD can quickly change from idealizing a partner or relationship to devaluing them. Devaluing or demeaning a partner or relationship would be highly uncommon for someone with DPD, as they are usually so desperate to keep the relationship alive.
- Impulsivity and explosive anger are symptomatic of BPD, but not dependent personality disorder.
- Suicidal thoughts, suggestions, and behaviors are common among people with borderline personality disorder, but not among those with DPD.
Treatment Options for Dependent Personality Disorder
The two most common forms of therapy for someone with DPD are:
- Psychodynamic therapy, which helps patients explore their unconscious thoughts, emotions, and memories, with the goal of understanding how unresolved conflicts from the past may be contributing to their current mental health struggles.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps patients replace self-defeating thought and behavior patterns with healthier and more productive ways of thinking and acting.
The therapeutic component of treatment for dependent personality disorder may involve individual, group, and family therapy.
No medications have been developed to treat DPD, but patients who have co-occurring anxiety or depression may benefit from meds such as antidepressants and anxiolytics.
Contact Renewal Health Group to Treat Dependent Personality Disorder
Renewal Health Group is a trusted provider of life-changing treatment for adults with dependent personality disorder. We also treat other mental health concerns.
Our continuum of care at our three facilities in Southern California includes residential treatment, a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), and an outpatient program (OP). access to our services, our network includes
To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Contact page or call us today.
Published: 4/29/2025
