Dependent Personality Disorder Support Groups: How They Can Help
The American Psychological Association characterizes dependent personality disorder (DPD) as "a personality disorder manifested in a long-term pattern of passively allowing others to take responsibility for major areas of life and of subordinating personal needs to the needs of others, due to lack of self-confidence and self-dependence."
Dependent personality disorder support groups may allow individuals with DPD to connect with others with similar experiences and challenges. Whether led by peers or mental health professionals, joining a support group can encourage recovery and mental health. By offering a safe space in which to share experiences, personal triumphs, and challenges, individuals can comfort one another and reduce isolation and loneliness. While support groups can be beneficial for mental health, they may be most effective when used in conjunction with individual therapy.
An overview of support groups
Some groups may be offered in the form of online forums or discussion boards, while others may be held in person in your local area. Online groups can be helpful if in-person groups aren’t available in your area, or if you aren’t comfortable meeting with others face-to-face.
Personality disorders
In general, personality is defined as a long-lasting pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving that is unique to each person and tends to remain stable over time. The development of one's personality may be influenced by life experiences, circumstances, and inherited factors.
A personality disorder generally refers to thought, emotion, and behavior patterns that fall outside of cultural expectations, cause distress, and interfere with functioning. Symptoms must affect at least two of the following areas of life to qualify for a personality disorder diagnosis:
- Thoughts about oneself and others
- Emotional responses
- Way of relating to others
- Ability to control one's behavior
Someone with dependent personality disorder (DPD) may experience challenges with assertiveness and making decisions without guidance. They may experience a pervasive sense of helplessness or vulnerability, which often requires reassurance. Those with DPD usually depend on others to make everyday decisions for them and believe that they cannot care for themselves. They may be perceived as overly reliant and clingy toward others.
Mental Health America support groups
Mental Health America (MHA) hosts a group support platform called Inspire, where people can discuss various subjects that may be related to personality disorders, such as depression, treatment options, and emotional challenges.
In addition, Mental Health America's Affiliate Resource Center allows you to search MHA's in-person support groups by location.
My Support Forums support groups
A personal and free online community with over 500,000 members, My Support Forums allows users to post topics, communicate with others via personal messages, participate in polls, and gain access to additional site features.
One can also view the discussions as a guest without signing up. The website’s search option allows you to locate topics related to specific concerns. People using the forum may also exchange information about local support groups.
NAMI support groups
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers support groups that meet online and in-person. Depending on the location, groups may meet on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. NAMI Connection is peer-led and free to join. It's available for adults ages 18 and older.
The organization also offers support groups for family members, significant others, and friends of people living with mental health conditions. In addition, NAMI features an online tool for finding support groups in your area.
Therapeutic approaches to address dependent personality disorder
While support groups are often helpful, they usually cannot replace one-on-one guidance from a licensed mental health professional. Individuals with dependent personality disorder often benefit from various types of therapy, including the following:
- Psychodynamic therapy generally involves the examination of past relationships that may have contributed to the development of dependent behavior. This type of therapy usually emphasizes independence and confidence by using cognitive techniques promoting the reevaluation of one's beliefs regarding relationships.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy normally focuses on restructuring thoughts around life concerns currently leading to distress. Cognitive restructuring techniques typically aim to help individuals identify and change unhelpful thinking patterns, foster self-confidence in taking care of one's needs, teach assertiveness skills, establish boundaries, and reduce reliance on relationships for well-being.
- Cognitive-existential therapy often incorporates psychoeducation with cognitive and existential theories and approaches, such as mindfulness, while reframing decision-making behavior.
- Integrated cognitive and existential therapies may focus on the role of distortions related to the self, promoting new ways of thinking and decreasing unhealthy defense mechanisms.
- Clarification-oriented psychotherapy can be seen as a process-oriented, client-centered approach to cognitive psychotherapy. It normally focuses on establishing functional self-regulation, in which a client assesses their motives, manages situations, and makes decisions that are more compatible with their established motives.
Additional therapy options
Living with dependent personality disorder may be challenging in the absence of a broad supportive network. Therapy with a licensed mental health professional can be an important part of contributing to your well-being and emotional independence, introducing helpful coping strategies. For some people, however, in-person therapy is inconvenient or inaccessible.
An online therapy platform like BetterHelp generally allows you to connect with a licensed therapist by video conference, phone call, or online chat, enabling individuals to customize the therapy process to their comfort levels.
A 2022 scoping review that examined 11 studies evaluated the effectiveness of internet interventions for personality disorders. Its findings indicated that "internet interventions for personality disorders show promise." In general, research shows that online therapy is equally effective as in-person therapy.
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