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Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) OCPD is a personality disorder that unconsciously affects individuals' behaviors, emotions, and responses

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) is a personality disorder defined by a strict adherence to orderliness, the control over one's environment, and the openness to new experiences. OCPD is characterized by uncontrollable altered mental capacities, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control at the expense of flexibility and efficiency. Individuals diagnosed with OCPD experience many struggles such as, regulating and controlling emotions, and maintaining close relationships with others.

OCPD is often confused with the anxiety disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It is important to differentiate between OCPD and OCD, as they share similar characteristics, but also differentiate between certain aspects as well. OCPD is a personality disorder that unconsciously alters people's behaviors. OCD is an anxiety disorder that has characteristics involving the presence of an obsession (an irrational thought or idea that continually repeats in a person's mind), or a compulsion (an irrational behavior performed repeatedly). Individuals diagnosed with OCPD believe that their actions and responses have an aim and purpose, and will usually avoid seeking help because they are unable to recognize that their behavior is being portrayed as abnormal or irrational. OCD symptoms tend to fluctuate in association with underlying anxiety, and often attempt to seek professional help to overcome the irrational nature of their behavior and the persistent state of anxiety they experience.

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder Characteristics

OCPD is a personality disorder that has a combinations of characteristics that effect many diagnosed individuals. Personality disorders are characterized by dramatic, overly emotional or unpredictable thinking or behavior. Individuals diagnosed with OCPD experience an excessive need for perfection and a relentless control over not only one's environment but the nature of interpersonal relationships as well. This type of personality disorder causes individuals to also experience a preoccupation with details, rules, lists, and order. OCPD creates individuals to be inflexible regarding morals, ethics, values, and rules, as well as causing the inability to control excessive devotion to not only close relationships, but also with hoarding valuable or invaluable items. Individuals diagnosed with OCPD have difficulty forming and maintaining close relationships with others, and therefore find it hard to express their feeling and emotions in a general context or environment, and often face social isoltion. Many individuals throughout society believe that individuals diagnosed with OCPD have the advantage of being hardworking and motivated, but what they fail to recognize is the uncontrollable actions individual with OCPD experience in order to maintain what is considered as "hard work." Due to the inability to control most actions and behaviors, individuals diagnosed with OCPD often feel righteous, indignant, and angry. It is important to note that due to the uncontrollable characteristic that comes with the diagnosis of OCPD, many individuals experience symptoms similar to what is referred to as an anxiety disorder.

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder Causes

Obsessions

An obsession is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts, fixation, and a persistent attachment to an object or idea. Many individuals diagnosed with OCPD have the inability to control what they obsess over. Although many non-diagnosed individuals also experience uncontrollable obsessions, individuals who are diagnosed with OCPD find it exceptionally difficult, as it alters their mental and motor capacities, and creates many obstacles that interfere with their everyday lives. The differences between non-diagnosed and diagnosed individuals are that most individuals without the diagnosis of OCPD have the ability to dismiss and be less bothered about the obsessive thoughts, whereas individuals diagnosed with OCPD have an altered mental capacity that creates alternative and excessive meaning or interpretation to the thoughts without control. Many individuals diagnosed with OCPD tend to view their unwanted thoughts as meaningful, important and sometimes dangerous.

• If one is diagnosed with OCPD, one might think: “It’s possible for me to contract a serious illness from touching this doorknob, then give this disease to my loved ones and cause them to be very sick. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t wash my hands?” This thought would probably make one feel anxious and engage in a compulsion.

Compulsions

A compulsion is the action or state of forcing or being forced to do something without constraint. Many individuals diagnosed with OCPD experience an irresistible urge to behave a certain way, especially against one's conscious needs. There are many different types of compulsions such as: shopping, hoarding, eating, gambling, sex, and even exercise. Although these compulsions are portrayed as positive by resulting in rewards or pleasure, when individuals diagnosed with OCPD engages in these repetitive patterns and senseless thinking, these behaviors are exceptionally difficult to overcome, and can result in an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety Disorder

An Anxiety Disorder causes many unexpected or unhelpful fears that seriously impacts many individuals' lives, including how they think, feel, and act. There are many different types of anxiety disorder such as: generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and social anxiety disorder. An anxiety disorder can leave many individuals effected with panic when they feel triggered by a specific event or stressful life experience. Many individuals diagnosed with OCPD share similar signs and symptoms as an anxiety disorder. Because OCPD is made up of many unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that causes anxiety (obsessions) or repeated actions meant to reduce that anxiety (compulsions), they are left with the disadvantage of experiencing large quantities of distress. Individuals diagnosed with OCPD experience signs and symptoms of anxiety when they have the inability to control any excessive obsessions, compulsions, or phobias.