Could a shadow syndrome of Asperger's syndrome possibly be obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (DSM-IV-TR) or anankastic personality disorder (ICD-10)? Patients with a severe manifestation of OCPD often show limited emotion and have a flat affect. They can be compulsive hoarders and collectors. They rigidly maintain schedules and ethics. They hate to make a decision because of being afraid to make a mistake: Every decision takes on equal gravity to them. Apparently, the brain could be involved in that too because I have read about a lawyer who recovered from a surgery to remove a brain tumor that had the unfortunate side effect of causing him to obsess over decisions because the emotional content of reasoning/evaluation had been lost.
Wikipedia wrote:
The DSM-IV-TR, a widely used manual for diagnosing mental disorders (see also:DSM cautionary statement), defines obsessive compulsive personality disorder as a "pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:
1. is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost
2. 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)
3. is excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships (not accounted for by obvious economic necessity)
4. is overconscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values (not accounted for by cultural or religious identification)
5. is unable to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value
6. is reluctant to delegate tasks or to work with others unless they submit to exactly his or her way of doing things
7. adopts a miserly spending style toward both self and others; money is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes
8. shows rigidity and stubbornness
It is important to note that while a person may exhibit any or all of the characteristics of a personality disorder, it is not diagnosed as a disorder unless the person has trouble leading a normal life due to these issues.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive-compulsive_personality_disorderICD-10 wrote:
F60.5 Anankastic (Obsessive-Compulsive) Personality Disorder
Personality disorder characterized by at least 3 of the following:
1. feelings of excessive doubt and caution;
2. preoccupation with details, rules, lists, order, organization or schedule;
3. perfectionism that interferes with task completion;
4. excessive conscientiousness, scrupulousness, and undue preoccupation with productivity to the exclusion of pleasure and interpersonal relationships;
5. excessive pedantry and adherence to social conventions;
6. rigidity and stubbornness;
7. unreasonable insistence by the patient that others submit to exactly his or her way of doing things, or unreasonable reluctance to allow others to do things;
8. intrusion of insistent and unwelcome thoughts or impulses.
Includes:
* compulsive and obsessional personality (disorder)
* obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
Excludes:
* obsessive-compulsive disorder
http://counsellingresource.com/distress/personality-disorders/anankastic.html
31 May 2005, 4:15 pm
