Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD)

When instructed to write a 3-5 page paper over a psychological disorder I wondered to myself what disorder could I do to interest me enough to take so much time to look into. What one disorder would I have to force myself to research and write about that would not be completely painful? This is when I decided to write my paper over the Borderline Personality Disorder, the disorder Mrs. Kline refers to as the crazy girlfriend disorder which fits the disorder a lot better. This disorder grabbed my attention because I’m interested in what causes one to become so obsessive in such a short time span. In this research paper I will inform you about what can cause this disorder, what symptoms and actions are made by the ones affected by this disorder, and the treatment that reduces the symptoms.

Attachment is a connection made between a mother and child and is vital in a child’s development, as it helps to regulate emotions and behavior. If the mother or main care giver has had problems making the bond with a child or is unable to meet the child’s needs i.e. offers no comfort when child cries, neglects, abuses physically or sexually, or doesn’t talk with or smile at the child. The child may suffer from Attachment Disorder, children with this disorder find it hard to trust and make bonds with people and possibly new care givers, they find it hard to make eye contact and will reject attempts made to calm them if upset, and will find it difficult to interact within social groups. These children may also experience anxiety, lack of self-esteem and possible aggressive behaviours.

Emotion regulation involves intrinsic and extrinsic processing of monitoring and modifying emotional reactions in both positive or negative situations (Martins, 2012). In order for individuals to have the ability to regulate emotions, they must beware of their emotions. Although infants are unaware and lack the ability to regulate their emotions, it then becomes the role of a primary carer to nurture the infant, thus acting as a model for regulating emotions. Evidently, infants grow to reflect the ways in which their carers control and modify their emotions as well as social boundaries. Furthermore, emotion regulation is considered an important aspect of an individuals life as it 'can moderate emotions and keep them in a manageable range

One of the most important factors that affect child development is the relationship of the child with their primary caregiver. This is a tenet of developmental psychology known as attachment theory. John Bowlby, the creator of this theory, wanted to examine how early childhood experiences influence personality development. Attachment theory specifically examines infant’s reactions to being separated from their primary caregiver. Bowlby hypothesized that the differences in how children react to these situations demonstrates basic behavioral differences in infancy that will have consequences for later social and emotional development.

Individuals with this disorder are usually needy for attention, social contact, and appraisement. This should not be confused with dependent personality style, which is healthy . Dependent personality disorder is a pathological version of the dependent personality style. It occurs after a triggering event and is a maladaptive response. Those with dependent personality disorder have submissive personalities, try to minimize difficulties, think uncritically, and in turn are susceptible to suggestibility. They look for a great deal of advice. In relationships, their behavior is self-sacrificing and constantly requires the reassurance of others, leading to subtle reliance for others to take responsibility in major areas of their life. They have problems starting tasks and sticking to them on their own, but are able to do this for others if assigned to them. Because of these attributes, they avoid positions of leadership. Their emotional style is

A personality disorder is characterized by a distinct pattern of behavior that does not meet normal standards of behavior within one’s culture. This pattern is ingrained as the norm to the person affected, and the characteristics of the affected person deviate markedly from societal standards (Hebblethwaite, 2009). The two main features that help to identify a personality disorder are chronic interpersonal difficulties and persons with one’s identity or sense of self (Livesly, 2001). Within this set of mental health disorders lie several other subsets, including one of the most prominent personality disorders - Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). BPD is a severe, long-lasting disorder that has an incidence of occurrence approximately equal to that of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia combined (Grant, Chou, Goldstein et al., 2008). BPD also puts those affected at risk for damage in many areas of their life if not properly diagnosed and treated, including personal relationships, school, work, and self-imagine. Furthermore, this disorder has a high co-morbidity with other disorders such as depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, and social phobia, among many more (Hebblethwaite, 2009). Misdiagnosis of borderline personality disorder can have serious clinical implications. This paper looks to identify the risk factors associated with BPD, the affects on various aspects of the person’s life, treatments, and give recommendations as to how to properly identify and

On October 25, 1994, Susan Smith drowned her two sons, Michael and Alex, in the John D. Long Lake in Union County, South Carolina. For nine days she lied about knowing where the boys were. On November 3, she confessed to the killings and would soon go to trial.

The symptoms that one may experience if they had Dependent Personality Disorder are more than emotional that anything else. One would typically lean on others for emotional support, avoiding personal related responsibility jobs, and even having separation issues (my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles). Also by the patient having confidence in their decisions they would make, this is why they lean on others to somewhat guide them in the right direction. Or may even just need to motivation and assurance that they are doing a great job on a day to day

A personality disorder is an inflexible and is usually an unhealthy way of thinking or behaving (Carey). Dependent personality disorder is a mental illness which can cause individuals to feel as if they are incapable of living or doing something independently (Faith). Dependent personality disorder is a cluster c personality disorder (Faith). Cluster c personality disorders include all of the anxious or fearful types of disorders (Faith).

Dependent Personality Disorder is characterized by “a pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of that leads to submissive and clinging behavior” (APA, 2013, p. 675). This description aptly defines the personality of Buster Bluth from the television show Arrested Development. Buster has difficulty making everyday decisions, has issues with expressing disagreement, seeks out another close relationship once one goes awry, goes to excessive lengths to obtain nurture, has anxiety when faced with difficult decisions, and his social relationships are limited. All these traits are symptoms of Dependent Personality Disorder (APA, 2013, p. 675). Based on this, Buster Bluth should be diagnosed with Dependent Personality Disorder.

438). Estelle emphasized how her parents rejected her and her father verbally abused her. The constant abuse of her father led Estelle to develop her own internal representation of herself and others causing her to have low self-esteem and an inability to cope with separation (Leichsenring, F., Et al, 2011). This internal self-image reflects the early mental imagine that contributes to Estelle’s interpersonal relationships with her parents and her multiple romantic partners. Lastly, biosocial theory explains BPD results from a combination of internal forces and external forces in which a child’s emotions were punished or ignored by parents (Comer, 2016, p. 438). Estelle’s parents misinterpreted her intense emotions as an attempt to manipulate them. When she was admitted into the hospital the first time, her parents unintentionally taught her to ignore her feelings. This led to her inability to properly handle emotional distress and control her emotional arousal (Comer, 2016, p.

An infant with a secure attachment style has a natural bond with their parent, where they are able to trust them, at the same time leaving their side to discover and explore their surroundings. In an insecure/resistant attachment the relationship the child has with their mother or caregiver is very clingy, thus making them very upset once the caregiver is away. When the mother or caregiver is back they are not easily comforted and resist their effort in comforting them. In an insecure/avoidant attachment the infant is, “indifferent and seems to avoid the mother, they are as easily comforted by a stranger, as by their parent” (Siegler 2011, p.429). Lastly, the disorganized/disoriented attachment is another insecure attachment style in which the infant has no way of coping with stress making their behavior confusing or contradictory. Through these brief descriptions of the attachment theory, many researchers have defined the turning point in which each attachment definition can have an influence on one’s self esteem, well-being and their marital relationship.

Blakely and Diadosz (2015) reported that the key concepts in the attachment theory are the Attachment Behavioral System (ABS), attachment style, and working model. The ABS was said to be “concerned with the proximity of the primary attachment figure when there was a threat of separation: if the attachment figure was not nearby or nonresponsive the child would have displayed anxious behaviors until they returned” (Blakely & Diadosz, 2015, p. 284). The second aspect of the theory was said to be the attachment style, which

Dependency is something one can consider that the human race requires naturally. When comparing dependency and mental illness we have to be aware of such extreme forms of dependency. Dependent Personality Disorder is the diagnosis of this extreme dependency. Individuals with this disorder can be seen as “clingy” or “needy”. The fear of being alone and the need of assurance plague individuals with this disorder. Due to lack of individual initiative advances individuals with this disorder may not prevail in the workplace or educational settings. This paper details dependent personality disorder, its historical roots, symptoms and treatments proposed to treat such disorder.

Anger, according to Bowlby (1951), can be a direct response to a separation experienced during infancy. In a study produced by Heinicke & Westheimer (1966), ten young children were observed during and after a two-week stay at a residential nursery. The comparisons made between those children and children who had remained in their homes showed