What Are The Complications Of Dependent Personality Disorder?

Published on May 17th, 2017

Updated on January 4th, 2024

What Are The Complications Of Dependent Personality Disorder?

Dependent personality disorder (DPD) is a disorder in which a person is dependent on the support of others. A person with DPD feels they cannot support themselves alone and has an extreme fear of abandonment. This fear causes a person to go to great lengths to prevent abandonment or rejection. People with DPD face many issues with regard to the way they see themselves and the people around them.

A person with DPD will see themselves as helpless, hopeless, and worthless. They will have low self-esteem and a poor self-image. Because of this core belief, the person with DPD will believe that they need the support of others to survive and be okay. This belief causes people with DPD to develop a fear of others leaving them. In fact, many people with DPD may not even understand why their loved ones stick by them for as long as they do. They constantly live in a state of fear for the day the people they depend on leave them. This fear causes extreme efforts to prevent them from leaving, like acting ill, needy, or submissive. They believe they cannot survive without the people they depend on.

Suffering from DPD causes many different complications in a person’s life. The way a person with DPD sees themselves in relation to others and how they fit in is dysfunctional. This causes many complications, including:

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Relationship issues

The number one struggle for those with DPD is relationship issues. People with DPD rely heavily on emotional and physical support from loved ones. They depend on one or a couple of specific people and believe that if those people leave them they will not be able to recover. They are so desperate to prevent people from leaving that they become overbearing. This presents itself as the affected person being clingy, submissive, passive, or overaccommodating. They may also act needy, helpless or ill. These behaviors are performed in an effort to prevent people from leaving.

The stress that a person with DPD puts on themselves and the people involved is overwhelming. They see themselves as helpless and will act on this by not accepting responsibility for themselves. They become submissive and being overly sensitive. This puts stress on the people they depend on, which causes resentment and frustration.

Self-image issues

People with DPD have a poor self-image and low self-esteem. DPD occurs when an affected person believes that they are helpless, hopeless, and not worthy of love. They feel that they are not worthy of a happy, healthy life and are overly critical of themselves.

People with DPD also have a hard time accepting criticism or responsibility for their actions. They do not feel empowered or able to take control of their lives. This results in heavy dependence on the people around them.

Dependence Issues

Dependence issues

People with DPD are heavily dependent on anyone who is willing to engage with the dependent behavior. Due to a poor self-image and enabling from others, a person with DPD rarely takes responsibility for themselves.

Dependent personality disorder causes affected people to depend on others to keep them well and help them complete the things they need to do. Because of this dependence, a person with DPD will often suffer from anxiety and depression. They will lack confidence in themselves to be able to take care of themselves and be fearful of being left alone.

This is due to a number of reasons, including:

Living with DPD is a difficult thing to cope with on a daily basis. Dependent personality disorder causes anxiety and other unhealthy thought and emotional patterns. This is due to different reasons that extend beyond the need to feel accepted by others. People with DPD crave external validation and security. They do not know how to validate themselves, so they depend on others.

Dependent personality disorder can prevent a person from learning how to validate themselves. This causes them to struggle with building self-esteem, which prolongs the stress that comes from the condition. Fortunately, there is help and treatment available for people who are struggling with DPD.

It is important for a person with DPD to seek treatment. Mental health services will help the person suffering from DPD break the cycle and work toward a healthy lifestyle. Treatment for DPD may take time but can help an affected person develop healthy coping skills for their stress. It also helps them to build their confidence and self-esteem, which will minimize the need for them to depend on others to feel safe and supported.

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