Since this is a relatively new condition the DSM-IV has not made it clear
how to diagnose co-dependency.
Dr. Timmen Cermak, MD has come up with a method for those treating this
addiction.
A. Continued investment of self-esteem in the ability to control both
one-self and others in the face of serious adverse consequences.
B. Assumption of responsibility for meeting others' needs to the exclusion
of acknowledging one's own.
C. Anxiety and boundary distortions around intimacy and separation.
D. Enmeshment in relationships with personality disordered, chemically
dependent, other co-dependent, and/or impulse-disordered individuals.
E. Three or more of the following:
Excessive reliance on denial.
Constriction of emotions
(with or without dramatic outbursts).
Depression.
Hypervigilance.
Compulsions.
Anxiety.
Substance Abuse.
Has been (or is) the victim
of recurrent physical or sexual abuse.
Stress-related medical
illnesses.
Has remained in a primary
relationship with an active substance abuser for at least two years
without seeking outside help.1
Treatment
Because co-dependency is usually rooted in a person’s childhood, treatment
often involves exploration into early childhood issues and their relationship
to current destructive behavior patterns. Treatment includes education,
experiential groups, and individual and group therapy through which
co-dependents rediscover themselves and identify self-defeating behavior
patterns. Treatment also focuses on helping patients getting in touch with
feelings that have been buried during childhood and on reconstructing family
dynamics. The goal is to allow them to experience their full range of feelings
again.