What is Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder?
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCD) is characterized by a pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and control at the expense of flexibility, directness, and productivity. Steve Bressert, PhD, indicates in an article on psychcentral.org titled Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder Symptoms that OCD usually begins in early adulthood and manifests in “4 (or more) of the following:
- Is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost
- Shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion (e.g., is unable to complete a project because his or her own overly strict standards are not met)
- Is excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships (not accounted for by obvious economic necessity)
- Is over-conscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values (not accounted for by cultural or religious identification)
- Is unable to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value
- Is reluctant to delegate tasks or to work with others unless they submit to exactly his or her way of doing things
- Adopts a miserly spending style toward both self and others; money is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes
- Shows significant rigidity and stubbornness” (Bressert, psychcentral.org)
Most often, OCD is diagnosed in adulthood and not during childhood or adolescence when development and maturation are occurring. Also interesting about the diagnosing of OCD is the fact that OCD is diagnosed in males twice as much as in females and is prevalent in about 4.5% of the population. Further, OCD symptoms and tendencies decrease with age, with most individuals experiencing less of the more extreme symptoms by their 40s and 50s.