Dependent
Personality Disorder
Dependent
Personality Disorder is part of the Cluster C Personality Disorders in
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth
Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Cluster C includes the
Avoidant, Dependent, and
Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorders. These are known as
the
anxious and fearful type of personalities. Individuals with
Dependent
Personality Disorder have difficulty making even the most mundane
decisions without excessive advice and reassurance from the attachment
figure. These persons have a pervasive fear of being unable to
take care of themselves and tend to have very low
self-confidence. Often, sufferers of Dependent Personality
Disorder seek another relationship urgently after a close relationship
ends.
These web pages are intended for
use by undergraduate and graduate students interested in learning more
about Dependent Personality Disorder. They are by no means
exhaustive in their depth or scope; they do, however, offer starting
places for those wishing to gain a basic understanding of this
interesting and complex Axis II disorder. These web pages are the
result of a project undertaken for Psychology 5552: Advanced Abnormal
Psychology, at Appalachian State University, fall semester, 2004.
They were compiled by Megan Occhio, a Master’s degree candidate in the
Clinical Psychology Program.