They are often anxious and tend to feel guilty. These people have difficulty acknowledging and expressing anger and struggle to get their own needs and goals met. Unable to soothe or comfort themselves when distressed, they require involvement of another person to help regulate their emotions. Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual
The Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM) approaches dependent personality disorder in a descriptive, rather than prescriptive sense and has received empirical support. The Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual includes two different types of dependent personality disorder:
Passive-aggressive
Counter-dependent The PDM-2 adopts and applies a prototypic approach, using empirical measures like the SWAP-200. It was influenced by a developmental and empirically grounded perspective, as proposed by Sidney Blatt. This model is of particular interest when focusing on dependent personality disorder, claiming that psychopathology comes from distortions of two main coordinates of psychological development:

The anaclitic/introjective dimension. The relatedness/self-definition dimension.The anaclitic personality organization in individuals exhibits difficulties in interpersonal relatedness, exhibiting the following behaviours:

Preoccupation with relationships
Fear of abandonment and of rejection
Seeking closeness and intimacy
Difficulty managing interpersonal boundaries
Tend to have an anxious-preoccupied attachment style.Introjective personality style is associated with problems in self-definition. Differential diagnosis
There are similarities between individuals with dependent personality disorder and individuals with borderline personality disorder, in that they both have a fear of abandonment. Those with dependent personality disorder do not exhibit impulsive behaviour, unstable affect, and poor self-image experienced by those with borderline personality disorder, differentiating the two disorders. Treatment
People who have DPD are generally treated with psychotherapy.
Risk factors
People with a history of neglect and an abusive upbringing are more susceptible to develop DPD, specifically those involved in long-term abusive relationships. Those with overprotective or authoritarian parents are also more at risk to develop DPD. Having a family history of anxiety disorder can play a role in the development of DPD as a 2004 twin study found a 0.81 heritability for personality disorders collectively. Causes
The exact cause of dependent personality disorder is unknown. A study in 2012 estimated that between 55% and 72% of the risk of the condition is inherited from ones parents. The difference between a "dependent personality" and a "dependent personality disorder" is somewhat subjective, which makes diagnosis sensitive to cultural influences such as gender role expectations. Dependent traits in children tended to increase with parenting behaviours and attitudes characterized by overprotectiveness and authoritarianism. Thus the likelihood of developing dependent personality disorder increased, since these parenting traits can limit them from developing a sense of autonomy, rather teaching them that others are powerful and competent.Traumatic or adverse experiences early in an individuals life, such as neglect and abuse or serious illness, can increase the likelihood of developing personality disorders, including dependent personality disorder, later on in life. This is especially prevalent for those individuals who also experience high interpersonal stress and poor social support.There is a higher frequency of the disorder seen in women than men, hence expectations relating to gender role may contribute to some extent.