What Does It Mean to Be Codependent?
Julia Kristina, a therapist, defines codependency as “The need to be needed.” A codependent individual feels important and valued when someone else needs them. So, it creates a cycle of trying to fix others and helping them out in exchange for approval.
Unlike conditions such as BPD, codependency is not a personality disorder. But according to Jon Miele’s 2014 article on Army.Mil, “Some estimates suggest that over 90 percent of the American population demonstrates codependent behavior.”
| Condition | Definition |
| Codependency | Feeling a need to be needed |
| Dependent Personality Disorder | Feeling incapable of taking care of themselves |
Signs You Are Codependent
Having excessive fear of abandonment, feeling valued only when someone needs you, struggling to maintain your sense of identity, constantly seeking others’ approval, avoiding conflicts, excessive compromise, low trust, and boundary issues indicate that you’re a codependent person.
This Quiz Has the Answer to “Am I Codependent?”
Since it’s not a diagnostic condition, it’s challenging to figure out if you’re codependent. That’s why we created a symptom-oriented test to help with that. It’s a set of twenty personalities, relationship, and behavior questions with the goal of identifying codependency signs.
Here’s how it works.
It looks into your experiences.
Codependent individuals are often victims of physical or emotional abuse. So, the quiz tries to figure out if you have gone through traumas or manipulation—especially during your childhood.
It analyzes your behaviors in a relationship.
Lots of people who ask, “Am I codependent?” might sense that there’s something off about their behaviors, especially in their romantic relationships. And that’s understandable. Certain behaviors such as excessive compromise can indicate you have “relationship addiction.” That’s why the quiz goes through your traits before generating any results.
It evaluates your self-confidence.
A codependent person feels valued only when someone needs them. Their self-esteem is pretty low when no one asks for their help. So, some specific questions of the codependency quiz focus on your confidence level.
Does Codependency Have any Symptoms? Yes and No
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders doesn’t list codependency as a personality disorder. So, there’s no clinical way to diagnose a one with the condition. However, particular symptoms help psychologists or therapists detect a codependent person.
#1. Feeling like your value comes from fixing others’ problems.
According to Dr. Todd Grande, “Codependency is an unhealthy relationship between a substance user or a person with some sort of personality disorder and a caregiver.” The caregiver is actually the one who might turn into a codependent person and try to fix the other party’s problems.
#2. Excessive compromise and being unable to say no.
One thing that leads to questions like, “Am I codependent?” is feeling unable to say no. Individuals with relationship addiction often say “yes” to ideas that would typically upset them.
#3. Feeling ripped off and abused all the time.
Codependency causes excessive agreeableness. And the person might feel like they’ve been manipulated and betrayed by their loved ones or friends.
#4. Losing your sense of identity.
It’s difficult for a codependent person to identify their needs and emotions. It could become as severe as self-questioning, “Who am I?”
#5. Seeking others’ approval.
When you are codependent, you feel like your value depends on others’ opinions about you. So, you constantly seek their approval.
#6. Feeling trapped in a relationship.
Being a caregiver worries a codependent person. They might want to escape the situation. But at the same time. They might refuse to due to their fear of change.
#7. Fear of abandonment.
Having a relationship addiction puts you in fear of losing your loved ones. A codependent person might get along with many unwanted conditions just to maintain their relationships.
#8. Depression or anxiety.
It’d be wise to ask, “am I depressed?” before asking, “Am I codependent?” Anxiety and depression are some of the byproducts of having a relationship addiction.
Take the Quiz for a Reliable Result
Do you want to know if you are a codependent person or not? If yes, you’re on the right page. After a thorough analysis, we’ve created an accurate test that determines your codependency level. Answer 20 questions about your experiences, relationships, and emotions and receive instant, reliable results.
Disclaimer
The codependency quiz is not a diagnostical test. Please, consult a psychologist or therapist if you’re worried about your mental health.
