Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) is often confused with obsessive-

compulsive disorder (OCD). Despite the similar names, they are two distinct disorders,
although some OCPD individuals also suffer from OCD, and the two are sometimes found
in the same family,[1] sometimes along with eating disorders.[2]
People experiencing OCPD do not generally feel the need to repeatedly perform ritualistic
actions - a common symptom of OCD. Instead, they normally place emphasis above
all on perfection and arranging objects, their own time, their own and other
people's activities. They may feel anxious when they perceive that things are
not "right." This can lead to routines and "rules" for ways of doing things,
whether for themselves or their families, that can often seem similar to the
rituals of OCD. Rather than get something wrong, OCPD individuals will make
lists of things to do and how to do them. Then they go on adding to the lists, or
find new associated things to do, meaning they may never finish what they
wanted to do in the first place. This is most of all a problem at work or for
students.
Perfectionism is commonly found in people suffering from a number of other
disorders including anxiety, depression, insomnia, nutritional problems, social
phobia and suicide. Two perfectionism scales have been developed in an attempt to tease
out its elements.[3] The first team, Frost, Marten, Lahart and Rosenblate,[4] creators of the
Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, defined perfectionism as the "setting of
excessively high standards for performance associated with critical self-
evaluation." They listed six factors for assessment: "concern over making mistakes,
high personal standards, parental expectations, parental criticism, doubt about
quality of performance and organization". A second scale devised by Hewitt and
Flett[5] focused on three dimensions: "high standards and self criticism", the "need
for approval" with fears about "negative evaluation" from others, along with a
"tendency to set high expectations for others and to evaluate them in a
demanding way". The latter was found to be connected, especially in males, to "self-
esteem, hostility and authoritarianism."
People with OCPD, when anxious or excited, may twitch or grimace, or make
odd noises, as in a mild form of Tourette Syndrome or do impulsive[6] and
unpredictable things, including risk taking. They may keep their home perfectly
organized, or be anxious about delegating tasks for fear that they won't be
completed correctly. They may even insist on taking over a task someone else is
doing so that it will be done properly. About one in four OCPD individuals may
display rigid and stubborn characteristics, a defining criterion.
There are five primary areas that cause anxiety for OCPD individuals: time,
personal and social relationships, cleanliness, tidiness, and money. Time becomes
a problem when they dwell for so long on getting something "right" that they
stand the chance of not finishing in time. Personal and social relationships are
often under serious strain because the OCPD individual insists on being in
charge and the only one who knows what is "right". Uncleanliness is, in the eyes of
some OCPD individuals, a form of lack of perfection, as is untidiness. They may spend
considerable time each day putting everything in precisely the right place in precisely the
right manner. Money is of concern because many OCPD sufferers are anxious
about the potential for things to go wrong in their lives. They may hoard[7] items
for a 'rainy day'. Money, for the same reason, may be hoarded so that as little as
possible is spent on daily living. This may look like miserliness or stinginess to other
people.
There are few moral 'grey' areas for a person with fully developed OCPD; actions and
beliefs are either completely right, or absolutely wrong with the OCPD individual
always 'in the right'. As might be expected, interpersonal relationships are
difficult because of the excessive demands placed on friends, romantic partners
and children. Sometimes frustration with other people not doing what the OCPD
individual wants spills over into anger and even violence. This is known as disinhibition.[8]
Persons with OCPD often have a negative outlook on life (pessimism) with a low
underlying form of depression.[9][10][11] This can at times become so serious that suicide is
a real risk.[12] Indeed, one study suggests that personality disorders are a significant
substrate to psychiatric morbidity. They cause more problems in functioning than does a
major depressive episode.[13]
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. The difficulty
arises when the OCPD individual, who by definition is likely to be stubborn, refuses to
admit anything is wrong with him or her. Added to this, OCPD is often only fully on
display in the home context.
Research into the familial tendency of OCPD may be illuminated by DNA studies. Two
studies suggest that people with a particular form of the DRD3 gene are highly likely to
develop OCPD and depression, particularly if they are male.[14][15]

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition, DSM IV-TR,
defines OCPD as follows. However, the usefulness of all but three of the criteria has been
challenged in a research study[16]. Perfectionism, rigidity and stubbornness, and
miserliness were the three criteria most likely to predict the presence of OCPD. (A study
in 2007[17] found that OCPD is etiologically distinct from Avoidant and Dependent
Personality Disorders, suggesting it is incorrectly categorized as a Cluster C Disorder.)
"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:
• 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 overconscientious, 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 rigidity and stubbornness"