Codependency has been described as an addiction, a disease, learned behaviors, a psychosocial condition, and a personality disorder. The term has been widely applied to define spouses of chemically dependent or otherwise dysfunctional persons. More generally, codependency has been applied to individuals who suffer from constantly focusing on the needs and behaviors of others. Many professionals argue that individuals addicted to alcohol, work, food, sex, and shopping all suffer from the malady of codependency. Codependent individuals become so preoccupied and focused on the needs of others that they neglect their own needs.
Some authors even argue that codependency is the most common of all addictions.
There are numerous definitions of codependency, and experts in the field do not agree on any specific definition. Perhaps the reason codependency is hard to define is due to the fact that the term has emerged within recent history. Originally codependency was aimed to describe family members and spouses of chemically dependent individuals. Today the term is used more generally. Codependency refers to maladaptive behavior that results from a stressful preoccupation with another individual's life.