Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder

DisclaimerThis page is not here to be used as a self-diagnosis, self-identification, or promotion - it's simply here to be informational. Whether or not one self-diagnoses, self-identifies, and/or seeks a professional diagnosis is up to them.

**Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)**, sometimes written as **Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder**, is characterized by pervasive preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and control that ultimately slows or interferes with completing a task.

### Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder vs Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Despite the similarities in their names, OCPD and OCD have key differences.

Individuals with OCD struggle with unwanted, anxious thoughts and feel compelled to perform ritualized actions to reduce anxiety.

Individuals with OCPD are less likely to recognize their disorder than individuals with OCD. They typically aren't driven by obsessive thoughts or specific repetitive actions, Instead, they have a more general desire for order and perfection, which they see as part of their own fixed values.

## Signs & Symptoms

* An obsession with work or tasks to be completed.
* Extreme irritation or anger when a schedule or routine is changed.
* Perfectionism that stops one from completing tasks or delegating a task to others.
* An inability to throw things away even when the items have no worth.
* A lack of generosity in general or miserliness about money and resources.
* Being very obsessive, judgmental, and inflexible in matters of morals or judgement.
* An inability to see any way to perform a task or behave except for their way.
* A preoccupation with rules, lists, details, and systems.

### Diagnosis

To be diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, symptoms must have begun in early adulthood and must have:

* A persistent pattern of preoccupation with order; perfectionism; and control of self, others, and situations.

This pattern is shown by the presence of four or more of the following:

* Preoccupation with details, rules, schedules, organization, and lists.
* A striving to do something perfectly that interferes with completion of the task.
* Excessive devotion to work and productivity, resulting in neglect of leisure activities and friends.
* Excessive conscientiousness, fastidiousness, and inflexibility regarding ethical and moral issues or values.
* Unwillingness to throw out worn-out or worthless objects, even those with no sentimental value.
* Reluctance to delegate or work with others unless they agree to do things exactly as the individual wants.
* A miserly approach to spending for themselves or others because they see money as something to be saved for future disasters.
* Rigidity and stubbornness.

## Causes

There is no single cause identified for OCPD. Several theories suggest that individuals with OCPD may have been raised by parents who were unavailable and either overly controlling or overly protective. As children, they may have been harshly punished. The OCPD traits may have developed as a sort of coping mechanism to avoid punishment, in an effort to be perfect and obedient.

Genetics may play a role, but this has not been well-studied. Cultural factors may play a role. Societies or religions that are very authoritarian and bound by strict rules may impact early childhood development that affects personality expression.

## References

https://www.msdmanuals.com/en-gb/professional/psychiatric-disorders/personality-disorders/obsessive-compulsive-personality-disorder-ocpd

https://iocdf.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/OCPD-Fact-Sheet.pdf

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-disorders/obsessive-compulsive-personality-disorder-ocpd.htm

https://www.sheppardpratt.org/knowledge-center/condition/obsessive-compulsive-personality-disorder/