I'm sure you've come across a lot of posts on social media and the internet about codependency, but it's continues to be a poorly understood topic due to its complexity. So here's some info from a registered psychologist who specializes in helping people heal from codependency about what it officialy is.
First of all, codependency is not a formal psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM-5 or ICD-11, but it’s a clinical concept that emerged from research and practice in the context of addiction treatment and family systems therapy (1970s–80s). Originally, it described the maladaptive relational patterns seen in partners or family members of people with substance use disorders.
At its core, codependency refers to a relational style where one person’s sense of identity, self-worth, and functioning becomes excessively dependent on another person, often someone who is impaired, unstable, abusive, or dysfunctional.
Key features supported by clinical literature and systemic theory:
1) Enmeshment: Blurred boundaries between self and other.
2) Excessive caretaking: Prioritizing another’s needs at the expense of one’s own, often to regulate one’s own anxiety.
3) Control through caretaking: Attempts to manage or stabilize another’s life in order to feel secure.
4) Self-neglect: Suppressing or ignoring personal needs, desires, or feelings.
5) Reinforcement of dysfunction: By over-functioning, the codependent unintentionally helps the impaired partner/family member maintain their dysfunction.
Due to its complexity, healing from codependency requires deep and lasting personality change - just trying to fix one single codependent relationship won't be enough. That's why it's crucial to engage in long-term, in-depth psychotherapy with an experienced therapist to overcome codependency.
First of all, codependency is not a formal psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM-5 or ICD-11, but it’s a clinical concept that emerged from research and practice in the context of addiction treatment and family systems therapy (1970s–80s). Originally, it described the maladaptive relational patterns seen in partners or family members of people with substance use disorders.
At its core, codependency refers to a relational style where one person’s sense of identity, self-worth, and functioning becomes excessively dependent on another person, often someone who is impaired, unstable, abusive, or dysfunctional.
Key features supported by clinical literature and systemic theory:
1) Enmeshment: Blurred boundaries between self and other.
2) Excessive caretaking: Prioritizing another’s needs at the expense of one’s own, often to regulate one’s own anxiety.
3) Control through caretaking: Attempts to manage or stabilize another’s life in order to feel secure.
4) Self-neglect: Suppressing or ignoring personal needs, desires, or feelings.
5) Reinforcement of dysfunction: By over-functioning, the codependent unintentionally helps the impaired partner/family member maintain their dysfunction.
Due to its complexity, healing from codependency requires deep and lasting personality change - just trying to fix one single codependent relationship won't be enough. That's why it's crucial to engage in long-term, in-depth psychotherapy with an experienced therapist to overcome codependency.
