A 29-year-old woman's partner ended their relationship two weeks ago. She describes feeling unable to function, has already begun urgently seeking a new relationship "so someone can look after things again," and says she has always let partners make even minor decisions for her because she "doesn't trust her own judgement." Before revealing the answer: does this fit dependent personality disorder, or would you want to know more first?

The features described — urgently seeking a replacement relationship to provide care and guidance, longstanding reliance on partners for everyday decisions, and a stated lack of trust in her own judgement — are characteristic of dependent personality disorder, but a single presentation shortly after a breakup is not enough on its own. What is needed is evidence that this pattern is longstanding, present since early adulthood, and consistent across relationships and contexts, rather than a reaction confined to this one loss, before a personality disorder rather than an adjustment reaction is diagnosed.