Personality Disorders Support Group
Personality disorders form a class of mental disorders that are characterized by long-lasting rigid patterns of thought and behaviour. Personality disorders are seen by the American Psychiatric Association as an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the culture of the individual who exhibits it.
How do you deal with the need for constant attention? If I'm not getting 100% of someone's attention I feel like they hate me. There is either " I know you love me because you give me the attention I need or you must really hate me because you aren't giving me constant attention".
This is really causing a major issue in my relationship. Any time apart to me is purposely trying to avoid me. I worry I'm going to be abandoned at any time.
This is really causing a major issue in my relationship. Any time apart to me is purposely trying to avoid me. I worry I'm going to be abandoned at any time.
I don't have a great answer for you but I want you to know it's an issue other people have managed to work out. In my case, the combination that seemed to help was:
- She got better medication (wellbutrin and lamictal)
- She went to college (undergrad business, seemed to help organize her thoughts)
- I got into therapy and learned to stop reinforcing some of the needy behaviors
One thing for me, as the partner, that was painful to recognize was that the neediness was meeting my own need for constant validation. As I got that under control and she got her own issues under control, the need for constant attention pretty much went away, at least enough that it's not a problem.
To would probably help to be doing something productive with my time that would be fulfilling and build my self-esteem. In that way I agree with complicatedphotog ^. Even though I would probably really hate the last option.