Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder?

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I have recently discovered this disorder. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive- ... y_disorder

I never had a label for the nature of my obsessions but this fits it perfectly. I can honestly say it has ruined my life and is continuing to do so. I'm petrified of books, CDs or video games that have the tiniest microscopic imperfection - even a rounded corner (by that I mean not a perfect right angle, not something massively round) or something and find it difficult to do anything in a on organised environment. To anyone else, all of my things which I consider imperfect would actually appear completely immaculate.

Whilst I am content with my regular aspie traits (why wouldn't I be?), I am aware that my AS is what causes my tendency towards this disorder.

Does anyone think that they have this and have they made any progress?

Hi Groovemeister,

I self-diagnosed OCPD a couple of years ago -- as although my behaviours (from my perspective) did not seem particularly extreme, I recognized many if the life issues I was having were reflected in a paper by Dr. Steven Phillipson (http://www.ocdonline.com/articlephillipson6.php).

However, I understand from various books that OCPD and AS can often be comorbid. Although I do have some OCPD symptoms, I think that they're on the less serious side - and my problems are more down to the lack of ability to empathise with people than the black and white thinking that Phillipson's paper talks about. I never understood why I encountered so many problems communicating with people, and whilst to some degree I might have denied the existence of OCPD traits, on reflection the problem may be down more to AS-like inability empathise together with pragmatic thinking (AS-trait also), where to some extent my OCPD traits had grown on top and as a result of my life experiences with AS-traits.

At present, I participate on this board as mild AS seems to be a better fit for me personally, as many OCPDers don't seem to have the same problems starting relationships as I do, and I've not been able to determine conclusively whether AS-like lack of empathy is equally present in all cases of OCPD.

But, it has been said that OCPD and AS are very similar, and have similar effects and it seems that the psychiatric community may itself have modelled some elements of AS in individuals when the obsessive personality (and other personality disorders) was first indentified by Freud, but failed to connect the evidence to form a description of AS. There are various books around on treating OCPD, though not many current ones. It is unfortunately a disorder that the psychiatric community seems to ignore with scant research on the topic, but the same techniques that help with AS are helpful in resolving OCPD behaviours: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

If you want any more information, I'll be happy to help -- private message me or post. But I am revising for exams at the moment, so any response will be brief.

Roger

Wow, you pretty much summed up everything there. Yes, I have no doubt that AS and OCPD overlap. I dare say there are no people out there that have OCPD that don't at least have some AS traits. Bar the problems with the condition of things, it's not as bad as some people as some are admitted when it's that bad. I was almost admitted once though when I had a mild breakdown 2 years or so ago but I wasn't THAT far gone and TBPH I think that would have finished me off - those places don't seem to help anyone (in the UK at least). Still, although to meet me on the street you'd never know I had it (nor would you with AS unless you were an expert - I emulate very well)

I mean, it is ruining my life but day to day I still get on - nowhere near as efficiently though. I feel like there is a massive chunk of me missing out on LIFE because I can never stop to enjoy it. I am preoccupied daily with these things - often the things that my AS makes me intensely purue, but unlike other aspies I can't fully enjoy them, in fact often the reverse.

RE CBT, I would be interested to hear what you have to say on it. I have fear that it's hardwried to the brain s aAS is and that I'm destined to live my whole existence like it.

From a personal point of view, my OCPD traits never looked that bad although I did start to have perfectionistic tendancies that meant projects that I was working on got ever more complex and, gradually, I would be daunted by the scale of projects.

But, a CBT approach to this is really just looking at your perception of whatever the case is (say for example, some project requirements) then doing some kind of reality check and adjusting your outlook more along the lines of the reality check.

So, when looking at some problem - if you get loads of anxiety - you step back from the problem, try to deal with it pragmatically, tackling the problem in smaller steps, to the point you have a solution.

I think AS is hardwired, though I understand that both OCD and OCPD have a slightly better outlook if you are aware of it. I tend to think of the brain (as a computer scientist) as a learning machine. It learns based on how your direct your thoughts. If, when you see a cat - for arguments sake - and you get nervous of it, if you don't deal with your nervous response in some way and come across cats often ... it'll probably get worse (based on the thoughts you have about the cat). And so, in the reverse: if you weaken the links between the anxiety and the thing that causes the anxiety you should get better.

I get kind of stuck in indecisive loops sometimes because of my OCPD traits, so the key for me is to recognize when I'm in a loop and "step out of it". Not sure if indecision like this is also an AS trait.

Roger

Thanks, yes I have self analysed a lot and realise what is unreasonable and typical of OCPD vs normal perception. But the perception doesn't change. I can walk away from something and look at it a week later but it's still the same. I rationally know what other people find acceptable but if it isnt like it's just come off a production line, the anxiety starts because ultimately my perecption is what is real, not what others think is normal.

It is my lifelong hope that I an pick up and use the things that I love without having to wash and dry my hands every time and do it quickly and carefully before the sweat from anxiety makes them marked. Not being able to admire the beautiful artwork on these things for fear of noticing an imperfection, but that's why I don't want them imperfect - because of the beautiful artwork!

I've had OCD since I was 6, and I was diagnosed with it when I was 13.

I've known people who were OCD and definitely not AS. There is a distinction. I get irked by little flaws and details because asn a Aspie I notice them and they influence my impression of the thing. But I don't compulsively obsess over them. I can focus myself on other things. It's only when a thing has some personal meaning for me, so I want it to be prefect, that I can get a little obsessive about flaws and imprefections. But I'm not so bad to be classiffied as OCD. I get frustrated and bumped, for example, if a dish i was cooking doesn't turn out great, but that's because i love cookign and invest myself so much into And as an Aspie, I can be intense about it and that can really affect my mood. But I don't throw it out and start all over againa nd spend 18 hours just cooking just to get it right.

I have Executive Function Disorder, which can effect impulse control and is highly comorbid with AS. I think a lot of time AS people think that they have OCD when it's really EFD, even though EFD often has the opposite affect of OCD. Someone with EFD will want things to be prefect the first time around, and if they're not, it's seen by the EFD person as a failure. Due the problem with impulsivity EFD causes, it's very hard for the person to override that first bad impression and all the negative emotions that come with Problems overriding negative emotion is a hallmark of EFD, just as problems overriding anxiety is of OCD. So the person because frustrated and disaught easily. However, unlike someone with OCD, who'll become hyped up on anxiety and compulsively do something over and over again to get it right, someone with EFD is more likely to feel frustration, anger, or depression, so they give up and find it harder to try again.

EFD can often cause other problems similar to that of OCD and ADHD, like difficulty working in a disorganized or choatic environment, low self-esteem, uneralistic expectations, and poor goal-setting skills.

People with OCD wouldn't be anything like AS.

It is a passionate hatred of mine that people miss out the 'P' in OCPD. OCPD and OCD are chalk ad cheese and nothing alike. Anyone AS with OCD probably actually has OCPD (as you say about EFD. I fact your description of it seems more appropriate of OCPD given what I've just read on EFDand what you've described is typical of me), as in my experience of all GPs and psychiatrist will see any obsessive psychiatric disorder as the most commonly heard of: OCD, and that'll do for a will do for a diagnosis as far as they're concerned - now let's throw some anti depressants in 'em!

Cade, for your reference OCPD has no actual compulsions, and nor do I. Read the link I gave at the top. You sound like a classic OCPD.

That was the first diagnosis I received, but I realized once anxiety was controlled, the OCD was much better. I am different than when I was diagnosed (5 years ago), I guess as a result of therapy and medication and hard work. But OCD is hard to understand and worse to deal with.
best wishes.

I was diagnosed with OCD for quite a while before AS came up.

I'm a little confused about the distinction between OCD and OCPD being made int his thread... in the wikipedia article it states

I see what you mean but that is by no means the defining characteristic. If the things that are imperfect to me could be fixed as easily as another OCPDer may clean a window they don't like to see dirty (and thus get pleasure from doing this) then I wouldn't mind either. When I have tidied a room or organised the filing cabinet I get a real buzz, and this is OCPD - problem is that a damaged item can't be 'undamaged'.

You have to remember that anyone can edit Wikipedia and quite honestly, I think that needs changing as it's not always true. On top of that, look at the rest of the article, look at OCD. Which one fits? Do you mind filling me in on your behaviours/symptoms?

I've always had obsessive compulsive tendencies. Not in the way of having to perform rituals like in OCD, but in the way of freaking out if things aren't done "just so" or if I don't have any control over things. A doctor noticed this in me when I was a kid.

I've become more flexible over time, but it's been hard and it definitely doesn't all go away overnight.

I'm actually surprised the wikipedia community self-polices as well as it does... (I'm not saying it's perfect, but not near as bad as I imagined an open-slather project would be)

These days I'm comfortable the Asperger's diagnosis explains my alledgedly-OCD symptoms - daft timewasting routine things like having to clean a room starting in one corner and working diagonally to the other.

Oh my god I've just read that wiki entry and it totally describes my mother!