A client with dependent personality disorder has a goal to increase problem-solving skills. Which client behavior would indicate progress toward meeting that goal?

Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) is characterized by an excessive need to be taken care of, leading to submissive and clinging behavior and a profound fear of separation. Clients with DPD typically struggle to make even everyday decisions without an excessive amount of advice and reassurance from others. Therefore, the hallmark of progress in therapy is the transition from passive reliance to active engagement in their own cognitive processes. Rationale: A. Asking questions is a significant indicator of progress for a client with DPD. In the early stages of treatment, these clients often wait to be told what to do or simply agree with the nurse to avoid conflict. When a client begins to ask questions, they are moving away from blind compliance and toward critical thinking. It shows they are beginning to analyze situations and seek information to make their own informed decisions rather than just seeking the answer to please others. B. Although requesting assistance appropriately sounds positive, for a client with a dependency disorder, the goal is often to decrease the frequency of requests for help. "Appropriate" is subjective; a client with DPD may still use "appropriate" requests as a way to maintain their dependent bond with the nurse. C. Being polite is generally a baseline behavior for those with DPD, as they are often over-accommodating and "people-pleasers" to ensure they are not abandoned. Politeness does not reflect a change in their problem-solving ability or their underlying pathology. D. Controlling emotional outbursts is more relevant to Borderline Personality Disorder or Histrionic Personality Disorder. Clients with DPD are typically passive and avoidant of conflict; they rarely have outbursts because they fear that such behavior would drive people away.