Article: OCPD is also called anankastic personality disorder (depending on where you live in the world). As the name suggests, it is a personality disorder. A personality disorder is where there is ongoing maladaptive patterns of thinking, behaviours and experiences that transcend different contexts and significantly affect much of the person’s life.  As such with OCPD, there is a preoccupation with the need for power and control over one’s own environment. These symptoms must involve a pervasive pattern of a preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, interpersonal and psychological control. Such control must come at the expense of efficiency, openness and flexibility as there is a strong level of rigidity in one’s beliefs that often interferes with the ability to complete tasks. OCPD is a completely different diagnosis from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), although it shares some of the same symptoms.  An obsession, as the name suggests, means the individual’s thoughts and feelings are completely dominated by a persistent idea. This, for example, could be cleanliness, security or many other things that have significant meaning to the individual. A compulsion involves performing an action repeatedly and persistently without leading to a reward or pleasure. These acts are often performed to make the obsessions go away, such as repeatedly washing one’s hands due to an obsession with cleanliness or repeatedly checking one’s door is locked 32 times due to an obsession that if this does not occur, someone may break in. Obsessive compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder involving intrusive obsessions that must be addressed through acting out on compulsive behaviours. People who suffer from OCD often recognize that their obsessions are illogical or irrational but feel like they cannot avoid them. People with OCPD, which is a personality disorder, often do not recognize their thoughts or pervasive need for inflexible control of all areas of their lives as irrational or problematic. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-V) states that in order to have the diagnosis of OCPD, the patient needs to have four or more of the following symptoms present in a variety of contexts that interferes with the individual's life:  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 significant rigidity and stubbornness Similarly, the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Disease 10 specifies that the patient must satisfy the general diagnostic criteria for a personality disorder (as mentioned above) and have three of the following symptoms to be diagnosed with anankastic personality disorder:  Feelings of excessive doubt and caution; Preoccupation with details, rules, lists, order, organization or schedule; Perfectionism that interferes with task completion; Excessive conscientiousness, scrupulousness, and undue preoccupation with productivity to the exclusion of pleasure and interpersonal relationships; Excessive pedantry and adherence to social conventions; Rigidity and stubbornness; Unreasonable insistence by the individual that others submit exactly to his or her way of doing things, or unreasonable reluctance to allow others to do things; Intrusion of insistent and unwelcome thoughts or impulses. OCPD is one of the most common personality disorders; the DSM-V estimates that between 2.1-7.9% of the general population suffer from OCPD. It also appears to run in families, so OCPD may have a genetic component.  Men are about twice as likely to have OCPD as women.  Children who grew up in controlling, rigid homes or environments may be more likely to develop OCPD.  Children who grew up with parents who were too stern and disapproving or overly protective may be more likely to develop OCPD.  70% of people with OCPD also suffer from depression.  About 25-50% of people with OCD also have OCPD.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Learn what OCPD is. Distinguish between OCPD and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Recognize the diagnostic criteria for OCPD. Recognize the anankastic personality disorder criteria. Know some risk factors of OCPD.