The dependent patient: Diagnosis, assessment, and treatment

Although dependent psychotherapy patients are compliant and eager to please, they also use more psychological and medical resources than nondependent patients, have more pseudoemergencies, and have difficulty terminating treatment. This article reviews research on diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of dependent patients and offers recommendations for implementing effective diagnostic, assessment, and treatment strategies in inpatient and outpatient settings. Integration is key: Clinicians must combine different types of data (e.g., diagnostic, assessment) and blend different therapeutic modalities (e.g., cognitive, psychodynamic) to work effectively with dependent patients.