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Dependent personality disorder - Symptom

Alternative Names

Personality disorder - dependent

Symptoms:

People with this disorder do not trust their own ability to make decisions. They may be very upset by separation and loss. They may go to great lengths, even suffering abuse, to stay in a relationship.

Symptoms of dependent personality disorder may include:

Avoiding being alone
Avoiding personal responsibility
Becoming easily hurt by criticism or disapproval
Becoming overly focused on fears of being abandoned
Becoming very passive in relationships
Feeling very upset or helpless when relationships end
Having difficulty making decisions without support from others
Having problems expressing disagreements with others

Signs and tests:

Like other personality disorders, dependent personality disorder is diagnosed based on a psychological evaluation and the history and severity of the symptoms.

Reviewed last on: 11/23/2010
Linda Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Michelle Benger Merrill, MD, Instructor in Clinical Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Blais MA, Smallwood P, Groves JE, Rivas-Vazquez RA. Personality and personality disorders. In: Stern TA, Rosenbaum JF, Fava M, Biederman J, Rauch SL, eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa:Mosby Elsevier; 2008:chap 39.

Depression

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