Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD)

Dependent Personality Disorder is a mental health disorder characterised by an ongoing psychological dependence on other people.

DPD tends to be a long-term condition in which people depend excessively on others to meet their physical and emotional needs with very few sufferers ever achieving what might be considerd full independence.

Dependent personality disorder is normally accompanied by excessive fear and anxiety and frequently leads to high levels of submission, passivity and helplessness which can place enormous strains on the quality of any intimate relationships.

As with all psychiatric disorders, the actual biological causes remain unknown and are yet to be identified, however, there does seem to be evidence that early childhood adversities, particulary related to the nature of their attachments with caregivers, may lead to high levels of dependence.

Dependent Personality Disorder Symptoms

There are several symptoms associated with Dependent Personality Disorder and diagnosis of DPD usually requires the concurrent experiencing of at least 5 of them, including:

Difficulty making everyday decisions without external validation and reassurance from others – (fear of making decisions).
Relinquishing of responsibility for most aspects of their lives.
Fear of disagreeing with others to minimise possible loss of support.
Lack of self-belief.
Low self-esteem.
A preparedness to do unpleasant tasks to obtain nurturance.
Learned helplessness.
Fear of being alone die to lack of belief in own abilities.
May enter into new relationships very quickly after others break-up in order to maintain care and nurturance.
Preoccupied with thoughts of being left to take care of themselves.

All of these symptoms or behaviours can be seen across normal populations but those with a dependent personality disorder experience them to such a degree that normal functioning is difficult.

Diagnosis of Dependent Personality Disorder

Technically, only a psychiatrist can diagnose a Dependent Personality Disorder, but in the UK general practitioners have tended to diagnose mental health problems by using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

The DSM lists specific symptoms against a range of disorders and whenever a person meets this criteria, they are said to be suffering from that disorder.

Diagnostic procedures do NOT make use of medical testing (for example blood tests) in order to produce a diagnosis, but rather is an opinion based on the observation of certain behaviours in the person who is suffering.

Because of this lack of verifiable medical testing, diagnosis remains a controversial subject, particularly within the psychological (non-medical) community.

However, in the UK access to support services is often contingent on receiving a diagnosis, so in this sense, a formal diagnosis may be useful.

Getting a Mental Health Diagnosis

Please be aware that Tranceform Psychology do not diagnose mental health disorders.

Our psychological counselling services do not require you to have been formally diagnosed but should you wish to obtain a formal mental health diagnosis, then please contact your GP who can arrange it for you.

CBT for Dependent Personality Disorder

If you’re committed to overcoming your Dependent Personality Disorder then we highly recommend following our Tranceformental CBT 10 session programme.

The Tranceformental programme is a highly successful & pragmatic course of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) run over 10 sessions, that will teach you everything you need to know to understand the psychological aspects of your problem.

It can also help you to identify any unhelpful thinking styles or limiting beliefs that might be reinforcing the issue.

The programme is also available as an online self-help CBT programme. if you prefer not to consult a therapist directly.

CBT is an empirically supported approach used by mental health practitioners around the World.

Free Initial Consultations for Dependent Personality Disorder

We offer all prospective clients a FREE initial consultation to discuss your Dependent Personality Disorder prior to commencing any treatment plans.

The consultation is free and lasts around 50 minutes.

During this consultation we will discuss the various therapy options that are available to you and make a considered recommendation based on your individual personal circumstances.

Initial consultations are also available as part of our online therapy service.

At Tranceform Psychology we recognise the importance of the therapeutic relationship in helping people to bring about effective change, so its important to be able to ‘meet’ to discuss any therapy treatments BEFORE proceeding.

Our policy is to help people make a fully balanced & considered decision about undertaking work with us, including both the financial and personal implications.

Overcome Dependent Personality Disorder with our online CBT Course

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is clinically proven to be effective.

Using an online learning platform, it is available with 2, 5 or 10 sessions of clinical support either face-to-face in the Wombourne offices, or using Zoom video facilities.

It can also be taken as a self help CBT course that will teach you the fundamental tools and techniques used throughout the mental health profession.