Treatment for Dependent Personality Disorder

Do You or Someone You Love Need Dependent Personality Disorder Treatment?

To live with dependent personality disorder means, you are living a life completely reliant on other people to make everyday decisions. It is tremendously hard believing that everyone else is more capable that you to live your life. This type of mental disorder is considered to be dependent personality disorder (DPD). Dependent personality disorder is considered to be the most diagnosed among mental disorders. People suffering from dependent personality disorder view their relationships with significant others as essential to their survival. In order for the man or woman to manage their life, they must be involved in at least one supportive relationship and are often involved in more than one. This psychiatric disorder not only affects the person tormented by dependent personality disorder, but it also affects the sufferer’s loved ones. The person dealing with DPD is considered to be clingy and needy, and often the sufferer will become involved in abusive relationships.

Are you fighting with dependent personality disorder? Have you given too much of yourself away to others? You can find healing from different sources, and you do not have to do it alone. Take the primary step to gaining control of your life and admit you have dependent personality disorder. It is the first step to living your own life. A dependent personality disorder treatment center can assist you in the management of the disorder. Are you aware of someone who has given his or her life decisions away to others? Do they think that they are not able to make a good decision? If so, then talk to them about dependent personality disorder. Help them find the care and healing they need to take control of their life. The assistance the need is available and they do not have to go through the healing alone.

Treatment Plan for Dependent Personality Disorder

In order to manage dependent personality disorder, a plan of action has to be created. This plan will require the assistance of others. This group of people will be the support team for the person struggling with dependent personality disorder. It will be comprised of four parts that will perform an important role in managing the disorder. These roles include:

  • Friends and Family – The role in healing that your friends and family can participate in is significant. They can be the support and motivator for healing.
  • Licensed counselor – A licensed therapist provides the personal interaction that can help in dealing with the dependent personality disorder and develop a tailored therapy plan. They will also help find and provide the resources needed for healing.
  • Dependent personality disorder therapy program – A dependent personality disorder program will assist with working through any physical or psychological issues that are present. Additional co-occurring addictions or disorders that may exist will also be evaluated.
  • Continuing groups of support – A support group can provide accountability and guidance, which is important. Ongoing therapy and support groups will help in working with the urges to stop therapy or taking medications. The support group is essential in maintaining healing.

Treatment Levels for Dependent Personality Disorder

In dealing with dependent personality disorder, it is rare to require the services of more intense treatment levels such as partial hospitalization programs (PHP), inpatient programs, intensive outpatient programs (IOP), and dependent personality disorder rehab facilities. The following treatment levels are more often used to treat dependent personality disorder:

  • Outpatient Treatment Care – This type of care is comparable to an Intensive Outpatient Program but less intense. There are fewer individual limits placed on the patient, but personal treatment and group sessions are still applied.
  • Treatment with Support Groups – This type of treatment is important as the members help alleviate the trials of reverting back to old habits. The guidance they offer is key in prevailing over a mental disorder.

Types of Therapy for Dependent Personality Disorder Treatment

Behavioral therapy is the best solution for treating dependent personality disorder. Any pharmacological approach will be to treat any co-occurring disorders. Long-term therapy is required to help the sufferer learn to manage this illness. A reputable dependent personality disorder treatment center employ multiple therapy styles to better address the various needs of the patient. Some of the therapies used include:

  • Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) – This type of therapy focuses on the interpersonal relations and societal functions using an encouraging and short-term psychotherapy while trying to help the patient find more effective ways of handling current crisis’ and concerns. The four main parts acknowledged by IPT are role changes, relationship shortcomings, unresolved grief, and role disputes.
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – This category of rehabilitation is designed to work on a patient’s maladaptive ways of thinking as a way influencing their behavior with an approach that is more positive It in turn aids the person in replacing unconstructive coping skills with more constructive ones.
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) – This level of rehab integrates the common behavioral therapy components of IBT and CBT for the regulation of emotions. It combines the stress management and mindful awareness parts of the therapies into the DBT therapy.
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – This type of cognitive behavioral treatment uses mindfulness and acceptance approaches mixed in multiple ways with strategies of commitment and behavior-change. This should enhance the emotional and mental flexibility.
  • Supportive Programs – Groups much like group therapy, support groups, family therapy, etc. are included in this type of treatment. The support these programs offer to those suffering with bipolar disorder is invaluable.

Living with dependent personality disorder can be extremely difficult. The fear of being alone is crippling and terrifying. You do not have to lose your self-identity and give all of your power away so you do not have to be alone. There is help available for you to learn how to manage this disorder. Seek out a dependent personality disorder treatment center for help. You can take control of your life with some help.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on April 15th, 2013
Published on AddictionHope.com, Substance Abuse Directory