Social support and emotional attachment to certain loved ones are key factors in mental health. Humans are social creatures, somewhat interdependent for survival.
To be there for someone does not bother us until someone seeks an unhealthy amount of care and nurturance from others to be able to function.
Dependent Personality Disorder encompasses a behavior pattern of submissiveness and clinginess to a person to fulfill an uncurbed need to be taken care of. Struggling to make daily decisions if not provided with assurance, they require other people to take charge of major areas of their lives.
Lack of confidence in their abilities keeps them from initiating tasks, however, they can function well with the knowledge that someone is approving of their work. Disagreements are not expressed easily due to fear of loss of support, this excessive fear of not being self-sufficient gives rise to feelings of helplessness.
People with dependent personality disorder willingly submit to unreasonable demands by others, tolerate abuse, or agree to something unpleasant if it provides them the care they need. In cases where a close relationship ends, they may quickly attach themselves to another person due to the unproportionate fear of being alone.
Generally beginning in early adulthood, this disorder is reported more in females.
Risk Factors
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History of neglect
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Separation anxiety in childhood or adolescence
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Chronic physical illness
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Long term abusive relationships
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Dysfunctional overprotective parenting
Treatment
Treatment involves working to mitigate the symptoms associated with the disorder. Psychotherapy should be the first choice when one experiences discomfort. Therapy helps in understanding the concepts related to the disorder, learning social skills to improve relationships, and building self-esteem. It also works with symptoms like anxiety and unhealthy emotions. Long-term therapy should be avoided to prevent forming dependence. Many symptoms decrease with continued therapy.
Medication is employed when there are severe symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks or depression.
Importance of Professional Counseling: A friend or family member may listen to you, but they aren’t professionally, technically qualified or experienced to offer you professional advice. If you wish you can contact us at MindTribe to receive help from our team of expert psychologists.
About MindTribe.in.
MindTribe Founder Dr. Prerna Kohli, India’s eminent psychologist, established the company to leverage the strength of the online to make counseling affordable and accessible to everyone. MindTribe provides counseling, workshops, support groups, forums, and eLearning.
About the Author.
Ishita Jain is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about her by clicking here
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.
Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.