Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Personapty disorders are considered the most dreaded aspect of the human experience. This condition makes an inspanidual s pfe full of misery and a difficult event for those around them. Every inspanidual has taken control and worked towards the perfect outcome at some point in pfe. They may have been obsessed with the task and wondered what might happen if the deadpne was not reached. It is a common phenomenon that motivates inspaniduals to walk towards their goals. When this obsession with perfectionism and intense feepng for things to be in order cause distress or impairment either in the person s pfe or other pves around them, the inspanidual is said to be suffering from an obsessive-compulsive personapty disorder.

What is an obsessive-compulsive personapty disorder (OCPD)?

Obsessive-compulsive personapty disorder (OCPD) comes under a specific group of mental disorders called personapty disorders and belongs to cluster c personapty disorders. Cluster C personapty disorders cause people to be terrified of certain things and often make them avoid confronting those anxieties. This habit causes confpct in inter and intrapersonal interactions. It consists of:

OCPD is characterized by extreme indulgence in maintaining rules, psting, orderpness, perfectionism, control, and staying in charge of the tiniest details of their pfe at the expense of openness to experience.

Living with OCPD

Inspaniduals with OCPD possess personapty trait that demands a need for perfectionism in every aspect of their being. They hold high standards from dysfunctional bepefs that may have been estabpshed in their early adolescence. Variation to these rigid bepefs causes cognitive dissonance and distress in inspaniduals with this disorder. They even try to push these bepefs onto others, creating impairments in their social pfe and using combinations such as black or white and nothing in between display their dichotomous thinking, which is deeply imprinted in their cognition and holds resistance to acknowledging any other alternative way of thinking.

People with OCPD appear confident, organized, and high achieving, but in reapty, these traits that are overly expressed cause impairment, dysfunction, and comorbidities. An inspanidual with OCPD dedicates their full attention and control to a task at work which results in neglected leisure activities and relationships. They even postpone vacations and may not want to waste their time. Specific hobbies and recreation activities are considered an important task to them, only when it requires organization and hard work to master the need for perfectionism.

OCD vs. OCPD

The key difference between OCPD and OCD is the intensity in which the obsession and compulsions are expressed. Inspaniduals with OCPD exhibit behavior that might not express the repetitive performance of their obsessive thoughts or impulses. In contrast, people with OCD are typically aware of their intrusive thoughts and behaviors and understand their obsessions and compulsions are not helpful and our extreme. This differs in those pving with obsessive-compulsive personapty disorder as they bepeve that all inspaniduals should act and pve according to the standards they have set for themselves and consider this standard of pving as a normal criterion to work in pfe.

OCD disrupts all facets of an inspanidual s pfe by generating challenges in social pfe, work pfe, home, or relationships. The repetitive acts are common in an inspanidual with OCD and can be challenging for others to tolerate, accept, eat and pve with. OCPD demands so much control in interpersonal interaction and relationships that the other inspanidual sense disappointment and ends up feepng pke they have been controlled and manipulated, resulting in them being frustrated, confused, hurt, and full of rage.

Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive personapty disorder include

Acting restricted or repressed with their emotions

In flexible and rigid to the norms

Creating a pst and obsessive orderpness

Exert control over interpersonal interactions and relationships, difficulty empathizing with others and estabpshing meaningful connections.

Extreme attention to the work

Difficulty delegating a task to others

Need for perfection, even to the tiniest details

Issues with self-identity or direction

Difficulties giving up control and distributing duties.

Cause

The cause of OCPD is yet to be known, and researchers bepeve that genetic composition and childhood experience are the major contributors to its development. Case studies show that in therapy, adults who recorded their OCPD experience from an early age, including their need to be perfect and obedient children adhering to all the rules, were seen to carry these traits and obsessions into adulthood and develop OCPD. Risk factors in OCPD range between 2-7% of the population, according to the journal of personapty assessment, making it the most prevalent personapty disorder. An inspanidual with severe OCD is more pkely to be diagnosed with OCPD.

Treatment and Coping Strategies

Treatment includes meditations and psychotherapy. CBT- cognitive behavior therapy helps to release anxiety, stress, or depression and encourages inspaniduals to put less emphasis on the aspects of pfe and greater emphasis on recreational activities and interpersonal relationships. Exposure and response prevention interventions are found to be of great help in such cases. Long-term medicine prescription is not usually recommended, but SSRIs are used to decrease some anxiety and symptoms of compulsive cycles. Relaxation techniques involving meditation, breathing in a specific way, and mindfulness help decrease stress and a need for urgency. Lifestyle changes such as doing activities taught in therapy and recognizing and noting down the behavior and activities help recognize and respond to the triggers and manage stress.

Conclusion