Therapy for codependency

What is the Codependent Disorder?

Suffering from codependent disorder can be either visible or covert. Namely, pathologically selfless people, who leave all the joys of their life in order to spend time helping others, who usually are alcoholics and/or drug abusers, are usually people suffering from this disorder. It is also characterized by passivity and a condition of suppressed emotions. Codependent people either show that they are unhappy with what they are doing, or act to be happy and satisfied while being miserable on the inside or, quite usually, are drug abusers or alcoholics themselves.

Codependency, being a negative state of mind which usually proves to be quite self-destructive, needs to be treated timely and effectively. There is a set of issues which need taking care of in order to release yourself or someone you love from the clutches of this disorder. Read on to learn how to recognize a person with codependency disorder and find adequate treatment for this individual.

Signs of Codependent Behavior

As it was mentioned above, the first sign of codependency is neglecting yourself and your own desires, sacrificing it all for someone else, focusing on what this person needs instead of asking yourself what you need. Similarly, these people, when faced with attention and caring, feel unsafe and express negative emotions.

These people cannot be alone and need to spend time helping other people “in need”. These people, who are the focus of codependent individuals, usually have addiction problems. Strangely, every time the object of their codependent obsession suffers, they feel devastated and directly responsible.

Amazingly, these people will usually look strong and confident on the outside, while, at the same time being scared and lost on the inside, desperately needing help. Finally, all these symptoms, and this disorder in general, usually stem from childhood, where this person has likely been neglected orabused.

Also, these people are incapable of functioning alone, let alone having decisions carried out individually. Rather, they need a person who can control them. Thus, they can hardly get into arguments or struggle to express theiropinion.

Codependent disorder can also be combined with various other conditions. Anxiety, depression, alcoholism or drug abuse are the most common ones. Therefore, these people are unhappy in the depths of their being, seeking refuge through alcohol and drugs whenever they have contact with such people.