Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentManagementComplications

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms

Causes

Diagnosis

Treatment

Management

Complications

Personality disorders can make having healthy relationships difficult and can be severe enough to impact functioning in daily life. The symptoms of DPD can be challenging to manage. Personality disorders do not have an approved standard medication treatment, but therapy is often a crucial part of a treatment plan. When treated, there is a high chance of improvement for a person with DPD.

Verywell / Lara Antal

Symptoms of Dependent Personality Disorder: Person with multiple arms pointing pointing away (absence of initiative or responsibility), Person in distress in front of three different doors (lack of opinions), Person surrounded by a thought bubble and speech bubbles (sensitivity to criticism), a person hunched down looking frightened (fear of being alone)

Individuals with dependent personalities often rely on those they are close to for their emotional and physical needs. They tend to feel helpless and find it difficult to make everyday decisions as they may believe they cannot do so alone.

Common symptoms of DPD can include:

People with DPD may have some similar symptoms to people with an avoidant personality disorder, such as hypersensitivity to rejection. However, those with avoidant personality disorder withdraw from relationships until they are sure to be accepted without criticism whereas those with DPD seek out relationships.

What’s the difference between DPD and BPD?

A person with BPD will also typically have a pattern of unstable and intense relationships.

The exact cause of DPD is unknown, but the condition has been linked to different risk factors, including genetics, environment, and development.

For example, people with DPD are more likely than people without the condition to have experienced:

While having a close family member with DPD increases the chance of developing the condition, it does not mean that you will develop DPD.

DPD is seen equally in men and women and is one of the most common personality disorders.

To help ensure an accurate diagnosis, it’s important to have an open and full conversation about your symptoms with your healthcare provider. Providing this vital information will lower the chance of misdiagnosis and allow you to get treatment as soon as possible.

A primary care physician can do an initial screening for DPD, but they will need to refer you or your loved one to a licensed mental health professional for an official diagnosis.

According to the criteria described in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition” (DSM-5), a diagnosis of DPD will be made if five of the following eight symptoms are present:

Diagnosing personality disorders can be challenging because the clinical symptoms can overlap with those of other mental health conditions. For example,major depressive disordershares some symptoms with DPD, which can lead to a person being misdiagnosed or undiagnosed.

How reliable is the DSM-5?Using the DSM-5 does not eliminate the risk of misdiagnosis. The diagnostic criteria for DPD have not significantly changed since 1987.The DSM-5 is recognized as having increased the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis; however, there are still many factors that can impact reliability in a typical psychiatric interview.According to some experts, the limitations mean that the reliability of psychiatric diagnoses is still relatively poor.

How reliable is the DSM-5?

Using the DSM-5 does not eliminate the risk of misdiagnosis. The diagnostic criteria for DPD have not significantly changed since 1987.The DSM-5 is recognized as having increased the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis; however, there are still many factors that can impact reliability in a typical psychiatric interview.According to some experts, the limitations mean that the reliability of psychiatric diagnoses is still relatively poor.

Using the DSM-5 does not eliminate the risk of misdiagnosis. The diagnostic criteria for DPD have not significantly changed since 1987.

The DSM-5 is recognized as having increased the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis; however, there are still many factors that can impact reliability in a typical psychiatric interview.

According to some experts, the limitations mean that the reliability of psychiatric diagnoses is still relatively poor.

For most people, psychotherapy, or talk therapy, will be the main treatment for DPD. If you have comorbid mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety, your treatment plan may also include medications for those conditions.

Psychotherapy

The main treatment for personality disorders is therapy. Several types of psychotherapy can be used to treat DPD.

The two most common methods used include:

The main goals of treatment include:

DPD may co-exist with other disorders, including depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, that may make treatment more challenging.

Medication

If someone with DPD also has another mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety, they may be prescribed medications to help with their symptoms.

Seeking professional support is very important if you have DPD. Learning to live and cope with your symptoms will also be a key part of your recovery.

Some elements of managing DPD can include:

How to Maintain Relationships With DPD

While there is nothing wrong with talking with the people in your life about decisions you make, if you have DPD, you may automatically turn to others for help.

If you feel incapable of doing anything alone, it can hurt your relationships with family, friends, partners, children, and coworkers. However, it is possible to have healthy relationships if you have DPD. Part of your treatment plan will be developing strategies to help you maintain healthy relationships with the people in your life.

Examples of things you might work on in recovery include:

How to Help a Loved One With DPD

People with DPD can see improvements with long-term therapy. However, there is potential for complications, which may include:

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text988or call:800-273-8255 (TALK).The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential support 24/7.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text988or call:800-273-8255 (TALK).

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential support 24/7.

Summary

Dependentpersonality disordercan have a negative effect on a person’s life—especially their relationships with others. However, a person can learn to have healthy relationships with the right treatment.

Talk therapy is usually the most effective way to help people with DPD. If you have DPD and another mental health condition, such as depression, your doctor may prescribe medications like antidepressants.

Whether you have DPD or you love someone with the condition, joining a support group—whether in person or online—can also be helpful.

If you or a loved one is struggling with dependent personality disorder, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Medline Plus.Dependent personality disorder.Merck Manual Professional Version.Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD).National Institute for Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.Hansen BJ, Thomas J, Torrico TJ.Dependent personality disorder.Stat Pearls. 2024.Medline Plus.Dependent personality disorder.Ramsay G, Jolayemi A.Personality disorders revisited: a newly proposed mental illness.Cureus. 2020;12(8):e9634. doi:10.7759/cureus.9634National Institute of Mental Health.Personality disorders.Aboraya A.The reliability of psychiatric diagnoses: point—our psychiatric diagnoses are still unreliable.Psychiatry (Edgmont).2007;4(1):22-25.Merck Manual Profesional Version.Dependent personality disorder (DPD).Merck Manual Professional Version.Overview of personality disorders.Medline Plus.Dependent personality disorder.

11 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Medline Plus.Dependent personality disorder.Merck Manual Professional Version.Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD).National Institute for Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.Hansen BJ, Thomas J, Torrico TJ.Dependent personality disorder.Stat Pearls. 2024.Medline Plus.Dependent personality disorder.Ramsay G, Jolayemi A.Personality disorders revisited: a newly proposed mental illness.Cureus. 2020;12(8):e9634. doi:10.7759/cureus.9634National Institute of Mental Health.Personality disorders.Aboraya A.The reliability of psychiatric diagnoses: point—our psychiatric diagnoses are still unreliable.Psychiatry (Edgmont).2007;4(1):22-25.Merck Manual Profesional Version.Dependent personality disorder (DPD).Merck Manual Professional Version.Overview of personality disorders.Medline Plus.Dependent personality disorder.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Medline Plus.Dependent personality disorder.Merck Manual Professional Version.Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD).National Institute for Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.Hansen BJ, Thomas J, Torrico TJ.Dependent personality disorder.Stat Pearls. 2024.Medline Plus.Dependent personality disorder.Ramsay G, Jolayemi A.Personality disorders revisited: a newly proposed mental illness.Cureus. 2020;12(8):e9634. doi:10.7759/cureus.9634National Institute of Mental Health.Personality disorders.Aboraya A.The reliability of psychiatric diagnoses: point—our psychiatric diagnoses are still unreliable.Psychiatry (Edgmont).2007;4(1):22-25.Merck Manual Profesional Version.Dependent personality disorder (DPD).Merck Manual Professional Version.Overview of personality disorders.Medline Plus.Dependent personality disorder.

Medline Plus.Dependent personality disorder.

Merck Manual Professional Version.Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD).

National Institute for Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.

Hansen BJ, Thomas J, Torrico TJ.Dependent personality disorder.Stat Pearls. 2024.

Ramsay G, Jolayemi A.Personality disorders revisited: a newly proposed mental illness.Cureus. 2020;12(8):e9634. doi:10.7759/cureus.9634

National Institute of Mental Health.Personality disorders.

Aboraya A.The reliability of psychiatric diagnoses: point—our psychiatric diagnoses are still unreliable.Psychiatry (Edgmont).2007;4(1):22-25.

Merck Manual Profesional Version.Dependent personality disorder (DPD).

Merck Manual Professional Version.Overview of personality disorders.

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