Obsessive compulsive personality disorder is a type of disorder which is characterized by preoccupation associated with orderliness, mental control and interpersonal control and perfectionism and lack of flexibility, openness and efficiency. People who are suffering from this disorder will be more attentive to the status of their relatives. Also they will show more affection which will be in a highly controlled fashion. In order to know whether a person is affected with this disorder or not then it is very important to know its symptoms.
Symptoms
A person with obsessive compulsive personality disorder will be preoccupied with things in different ways. These are:
- Preoccupation with details, organization, order and schedules. This will happen if the person comes to the extent of feeling that their activity is not under control.
- The person will show perfectionism in task completion and other activities.
- The person will be more devoted to the work in such a way will not even enjoy leisure activities and friendships.
- They will be more conscious, inflexible, and scrupulous about matters like morality, values and ethics.
- They will be unable to discard things even if they do not use the respective items.
- They will adopt a different style.
- They will show stubbornness and rigidity
This obsessive compulsive disorder is more common in males when compared to females. It affects about 1 % of the world population. The intensity of this disorder decreases with age.
Causes
The exact cause of the obsessive compulsive personality disorder is not known but there are many research studies being done in order to identify it. Many believe that the cause might be genetic. The biological factors and most importantly the social factors and the psychological factors may also play a role. This clearly shows that there is no single factor to cause the disorder. Also research has concluded that if a person has this type of disorder then his or her children will be at higher risk of developing it.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of the disorder should be made by a well-trained therapist. Initially the therapist will enquire a lot about the patient’s health and the symptoms. If necessary they will ask questions to the family of the affected person. Later, depending upon the criteria for evaluating the symptoms, treatment will be recommended if there are the symptoms related to the obsessive compulsive disorder. If the person is diagnosed with the condition they must start their treatment immediately.
Treatment
The best and most effective treatment for obsessive compulsive personality disorder is psychotherapy. The only disadvantage of this treatment is that it will be done for a longer period of time. Also the treatment should be done by a well-trained and licensed therapist. Medication can also be prescribed in some cases. Its main job is to eliminate depression and anxiety symptoms.
