Maybe you know someone who goes crazy seeing crooked paintings on the walls and clothes not sorted by color. Some find it funny, but it’s possible that people who seem overly concerned with order, perfection, and control may have what psychologists call obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, or OCD. People with this follow extremely rigid and unchanging fixations with order and exactness, and see nothing wrong with their unusual behaviors. A person with this disorder may not see that there is anything wrong with their obsession with their conscientiousness and perfectionism, and may actually subscribe to these behaviors to “increase” their productivity and may feel that other people are in the wrong. Occurring twice as common in men as in women, this disorder is found in about 1 percent of the general population.
OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder is often confused with OCPD. The two share some of the symptoms, actually; its main symptoms, which include preoccupation with paying attention to small details, rigid obedience to rules and regulations, compulsive need to create lists, and inflexible beliefs and intrusive perfectionism, are also present in people with OCD. However, this disorder, as the name suggests, is a personality disorder. Unlike OCD, whose severity changes over time, its symptoms remain constant throughout a person’s life, often beginning in early adulthood and persisting in varied settings. In addition, OCD patients struggle with their unwanted thoughts and compulsions with repetitive behaviors and rituals, while people with this disorder believe that their beliefs and actions are correct and are easily irritated with others who do not value organization and teamwork. order.
Aside from the primary symptoms mentioned above, some people with OCPD may also experience an obsessive fixation with hygiene and cleanliness. Often misunderstood as “just being clean,” this excessive attention to cleanliness and hygiene by people with this disorder can obviously make daily activities difficult as well. What they think are behaviors that help them throughout the day actually cause a lot of stress and aggravation for the person. Daily tasks are not the only things that are tense for people with this disorder, as interpersonal relationships are also likely to be affected, as these people tend to have highly polarized thoughts and perceptions of actions, whether those of others or own. A person dealing with this disorder may view the world as strictly “right” versus “wrong,” with almost no margin or difference between the two. This rigidity causes a lot of frustration and puts a lot of stress on the individual’s relationships, which can sometimes lead to anger and violence. Consequently, these people also tend to have general pessimism as well as underlying depression.
In terms of treatment, OCPD generally involves self-help and psychotherapy. These people may go through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, where they can discuss with their therapist ways they can change their compulsions into more efficient, effective, and productive behavior. Although medication is generally not indicated for this disorder, fluoxetine and other antidepressants and anxiolytics have shown some success in reducing an individual’s feelings of frustration and stubbornness. Psychiatrists may prescribe these medications for the patient to control the symptoms of their disorder. However, there are some cases in which the common symptoms of this disorder – the belief that their actions and thoughts are “correct” – prevent and hinder treatment and they do not accept that they have the personality disorder.
With the emergence of relatively new research since the early 1990s, tons of completely new information about OCPD and its characteristics is coming to light. Studies showing that this disorder (discovered as genetic and tends to run in families, along with eating disorders, and can actually show up even in childhood) are shedding new light on this easy-to-overlook condition. Along with advances in technology and technique, identifying, diagnosing, and ultimately treating and managing the symptoms of the disorder will not be as difficult as it used to be. Ultimately, success in managing this condition does not depend solely on the skill of the therapist or psychiatrist, or the patient’s (probably stubborn) disposition; the understanding and support of the people around these intensely ordered individuals is critical to successfully freeing themselves from their obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
