Dependent Personality Disorder

Dependent Personality Disorder as a pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of that leads to submissive and clinging behavior and fears of separation, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

• has difficulty making everyday decisions without an excessive amount of advice and reassurance from others;
• needs others to assume responsibility for most major areas of his or her life;
• has difficulty expressing disagreement with others because of fear of loss of support or approval;
• has difficulty initiating projects or doing things on his or her own (because of a lack of self-confidence in judgment or abilities rather than a lack of motivation or energy);
• goes to excessive lengths to obtain nurturance and support from others to the point of volunteering to do things that are unpleasant;
• feels uncomfortable or helpless when alone because of exaggerated fears of being unable to care for himself or herself;
• urgently seeks another relationship as a source of care and support when a close relationship ends;
• is unrealistically preoccupied with fears of being left to take care of himself or herself.

Source: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
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