Excessive dependency and depression: is the relationship specific?

Excessive dependency has been hypothesized to be both a risk factor and a complication of depression. The purpose of this study was to test the specificity of the relationship between DSM-III-R dependent personality disorder (DPD) and depressive disorders. Two hundred subjects were independently administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) and the Personality Disorder Examination (PDE) face-to-face by two experienced clinicians. Comorbidity of DPD and axis I disorders of five different types was examined. Dependent personality disorder was associated with mood disorders, both bipolar disorder and major depression, but was also associated with several anxiety disorders, bulimia, and nonaffective psychotic disorders. Dependent-personality disorder was associated with borderline, avoidant, schizotypal, obsessive-compulsive, narcissistic, and paranoid personality disorder made no significant additional contribution to the association between personality disorder and axis I disorder. These results suggest the DPD represents maladaptive traits and behaviors that cut across a range of personality psychopathology and are related to a variety of types of psychological distress. Thus, a specific++ relationship od DPD to depression was not supported.