Dealing with OCPD

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder

If you have ever read an article on-line, and then suddenly realized that you need help ~ This just might be one of those articles!

You'll need your Journal to take notes for this Blog Session. This may be a good time for you to get a Journal strictly dedicated to OCPD or OCD. [Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder].

Welcome back Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors. We were last here discussing OCPD ~ Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder.  We are back to follow up, and to put forth information regarding two distinct conditions that you may find it helpful to make a note of . . .

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Versus

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Personality disorders are a distinct category of psychiatric disorders.  Personality disorders refer to a chronic, inflexible, and maladaptive pattern of relating to the world.  This maladaptive pattern is evident in the way the person thinks, feels, behaves, and most importantly, how they relate interpersonally to other people.  All of us (including those of us who may have a personality disorder), knows someone who has a personality disorder of some kind.

Understanding personality disorders is a matter of course depending on who you are.  Some of the readers here have family members, friends, or loved ones who have personality disorders.  In fact, some of the readers here may have become use to the personality disorder to the point where in their mind it is a normal order of the day.  But is it?

"No."

Let's just stop here for a minute and get into what a Personality Disorder is . . .

The term “Personality Disorder” implies there is something not-quite-right about someone’s personality. However, the term “personality disorder” simply refers to a diagnostic category of psychiatric disorders characterized by a chronic, inflexible, and maladaptive pattern of relating to the world.  This maladaptive pattern is evident in the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves.  The most noticeable and significant feature of these disorders is their negative effect on interpersonal relationships.  A person with an untreated personality disorder is rarely able to enjoy sustained, meaningful, and rewarding relationships with others, and any relationships they do form are often fraught with problems and difficulties.

Do you know someone like this?  Do you believe you may have a personality disorder? 

It is quite possible to have both a personality disorder and an obsessive-compulsive or related disorder.  However, one personality disorder in particular appears to be most similar to the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  It even shares a similar name: obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD).  Therefore, it is important to distinguish between these two disorders...

Despite the similarity in names, the connection between OCD and OCPD is not as strong as one would think.  OCPD is defined as the preoccupation with perfectionism, orderliness, and control.  Individuals with OCPD tend to be inflexible and rigid.  They pay extreme attention to details and rules so much so that it can interfere with their ability to complete a task.  They become so excessively devoted to work and being 'productive,' that they neglect their friends and family.  Their preoccupation leaves little room for recreational or leisurely pursuits.

OCPD affects people's functioning in many ways.  First, OCPD can negatively affect someone's performance at work. They frequently do not complete projects because they get lost in the details.  Similarly, their futile attempts to achieve perfection cause them to miss important deadlines.  OCPD also affects the person's social functioning.  Because of their excessive devotion to work and 'productivity,' they do not form, and/or maintain, meaningful social relationships.

Although OCD and OCPD share some related features, they are two different disorders.  As such, it is possible for a person to have both disorders.  The primary distinction between these two disorders is the presence of obsessions and compulsions, as with OCD; or the absence of them, as with OCPD.  Research indicates that most individuals with OCD do not have OCPD (Baer & Jenike, 1992).

Is it possible to live with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

Diagnosis: The Signs And Symptoms Of

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

As the name implies, the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is the kingpin of the entire category of disorders called obsessive-compulsive and related disorders.  Obsessions are repetitive and distressing thoughts, urges, or imagery that are experienced as uncontrollable.  Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to perform in response to obsessions.  These obsessions and compulsions are at times consuming (an hour or more per day).  They create significant distress and/or interfere with a person's functioning.

Ordinarily, obsessional thoughts, images, or impulses are not about typical, everyday things. Common obsessional themes are:

• extreme and unrealistic concerns about contamination, and/or need for cleanliness;
• repeated and excessive doubts, such as wondering if a door was left unlocked, or if a coffee pot was turned off;
• the need to have things in a precise and particular order or arrangement (with intense distress or distractions if this order or arrangement is disturbed);
• aggressive or horrific impulses, such as a desire to harm one's child; and
• disturbing sexual imagery, such as intrusive pornographic imagery.

These are the most common types of obsessions.  However, any distressing, repetitive, uncontrollable, and unwanted thought can form an obsession.

Obsessions are not the same as hallucinations, which are a hallmark symptom of several other, rather severe, mental disorders (psychotic disorders).  When someone is experiencing a hallucination, they are unaware that what they are experiencing is not real and a creation of their own mind. In contrast, people who experience obsessions recognize that the obsessions are generated by their own mind.  This is true, even for people with limited insight.

People with OCD try to ignore or neutralize these intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses.  In other words, they attempt to counteract or block these distressing and repetitive thoughts.  One way people try to block or neutralize obsessions is with compulsions.  Compulsions are recurring behaviors (such as repeatedly checking appliances or repeatedly washing hands) or repetitive mental acts (such as counting or praying) that an individual feels they must do in response to an obsession.

Compulsions serve to avoid or reduce distress.  In some cases, a person may believe they must perform compulsive acts in order to prevent something terrible from happening. For example, a person may touch things only after they have all been bleached.  They believe they must perform this act in order to prevent disease.

PLEASE NOTE:  Children's OCD symptoms are similar to adults.  However, children may not ask for help.  Therefore, it becomes their caregivers' responsibility to identify these symptoms and seek treatment.  While an adult may be able to tell you their rationale for the compulsive act ("I'm washing my hands so I don't contract HIV"), a child may not be able to articulate this.  Even though children may be unable explain the reason for their compulsive behavior, they may still try to minimize their compulsions in front of others.

The diagnosis of OCD includes an insight specifier to further refine the diagnosis.  While it is true that obsessions and compulsions are based on inaccurate or irrational beliefs, people differ in terms of whether they recognize this fact.  In other words, some people readily recognize and accept that obsessions and are not sensible.  Nonetheless, this insight is insufficient to prevent the obsessions and compulsions.

Other people lack this insight.  They firmly cling to their distorted beliefs, despite evidence that refutes the validity of such beliefs.  This lack of insight is important with respect to treatment.  In general, people with poor or absent insight have a poorer prognosis for a full and complete recovery. However, the degree of insight can be quite variable.  In one moment, a person may be well aware their beliefs are irrational.  Later, when directly faced with a fearful situation, this insight may vanish completely.

IMPORTANT NOTES FOR YOUR JOURNAL:

Insight Specifiers

There are three insight specifiers:

1)  good/fair,

2)  poor, or

3)  absent/delusional.

An insight specifier rates a person's degree of insight about their disorder-related beliefs.  For instance, some people realize that checking the locks, dozens of times throughout the day, is unlikely to affect whether or not a burglary occurs. This indicates good/fair insight.  Someone else may believe that without this degree of vigilance a burglary is nearly certain to occur.  This indicates poor insight.  A small minority of people are absolutely convinced a burglary is certain to occur without rigorous checking of locks.  These people demonstrate absent/delusional insight.

QUESTION:  

How Are Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders (OCRDs) Diagnosed?

The presence of absent/delusional insight requires very careful diagnostic evaluation.  Delusional thoughts are also a symptom of another category of rather severe disorders, called psychotic disorders.  Therefore, it is very important that the absent/delusional insight in an OCRD is not misdiagnosed as psychotic disorder merely because of delusional beliefs.  Proper diagnosis is essential to receiving the right treatment.  For example, the medications used to treat psychotic disorders are very different than for OCRDs. If the symptoms of OCRDs are misdiagnosed as a psychotic disorder, a person might receive the wrong kind of medication.

Make sure you have all of these important insights written down in your Journal for future reference.  We'll be back to continue our conversation.  And, now that you know more about OCD and OCPD, as well as OCRDs, you be better able to understand our upcoming discussion about how people with Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) have the capacity to experience great emotional depth because of their hypersensitivity.  You'll find that discussion very interesting!

Tune in back here for our next Blog Session for all of the above, as well as our discussion about the difference between Empaths and Highly Sensitive People.

~ See you in the morning Friends ~

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

© Copyright - René Allen - JUNE 2017 - All Rights Reserved