Home Remedies and Herbs for Dependent Personality Disorder

Dependent personality disorder is a mental health condition that causes people to rely or depend on others to meet their physical and emotional needs. Dependent personality disorder is classified as part of an overall group of anxious personality disorders. Dependent personality disorder is one of the most common personality disorders. It usually begins in childhood but isn’t recognized until early adulthood after a long-standing pattern of dependent behaviors. It can affect both men and women equally.^{1 2}

People with dependent personality disorder have a constant need to be taken care by others of out of fear of not being able to take care of themselves. Symptoms tend to manifest themselves as dependent personality disorder relationships, whereby the person relies on whomever they have the strongest or closest relationships with.^{2 3} This disorder is also characterized by feelings of abandonment and self-doubt as well as submissive and helpless behaviors. People with dependent personality disorder are often described as “clingy”. Clinginess is their attempt to keep the person in their lives whom they depend on.^{2 3}

What Causes Dependent Personality Disorder?

Like with many personality disorders, the exact dependent personality disorder causes are unknown. Many researchers believe that dependent personality disorder causes are related to a combination of different factors. These factors include:^{1 2 3}

• Genetics - There is a possibility for this disorder to be passed down genetically.
• Environmental - This disorder can be triggered by experiences in upbringing, such as childhood abandonment or growing up in authoritarian household.
• Personality Traits - Some people simply exhibit a greater likelihood to develop dependent personality disorder based on their individual temperament and how they deal with anxiety.

Dependent Personality Disorder Symptoms

Dependent personality disorder symptoms are displayed in a long-standing pattern that begins at a young age and becomes more apparent over time. Common dependent personality disorder symptoms include:

• An ongoing fear of abandonment or being left alone to take care of themselves
• Avoiding personal responsibility for their own lives
• Not wanting to be alone
• Dependent personality disorder relationships that move from one to the next
• Feeling helpless when relationships end
• Engaging in behavior that elicits care and attention from others
• Not having the self-confidence to start their own projects or make their own decisions
• Avoiding disagreement with others out of fear of losing approval

References

1. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000941.htm
2. http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/dependent-personality-disorder
3. https://psychcentral.com/disorders/dependent-personality-disorder-symptoms/