The focus of this research is on Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). The OCPD disorder could be defined as one of the personality disorders that make the victim to experience extreme perfectionism, neatness, and order. The people who suffer this type of perfectionism have a challenge of trying to impose their own standards to others in their immediate external environment. Individuals with this type of disorder may also experience other behavioral traits that may make it a challenge for them to cope with friends, family, and other significant people around their environment. The focus of the research is to explore the key traits and characteristics that are associated with persons who are victim to this type of personality. This is critical considering the fact that victims of Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) may experience some incompatible traits. Issues such as difficulty in expressing feelings, difficulty forming and maintaining close relationships with significant others, hardworking and obsession with work, anger, and social isolation are common behavioral traits of this personality. The research will delve deeper into the analysis of the symptoms, prevalence and intervention methods of handling people suffering from this disorder.
2.0 Analysis and Discussion
The behavioral patterns of persons with Obsessive–Compulsive Personality Disorderis mainly are mainly characterized with increased preoccupation with perfectionism, order, and control over themselves and others. As a result of uncontrolled preoccupation in these areas, it becomes challenging for such persons to exercise flexibility and openness. The challenge of exercising flexibility and openness makes many of the victims to this disorder to become rigid and stubborn in the way they carry their activities (Ahmari, 2016). Patients insist that everything is done in specific ways even if the ways seems to lead to the discomfort of others. Victims to Obsessive–Compulsive Personality Disorder have a challenge in demonstrating control over self and others and this may lead them to appear insensitive. They have tendencies to follow certain paths and ways of doing things and may not be flexible in doing things differently.
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In addition, persons with Obsessive–Compulsive Personality Disorder demonstrate challenges of controlling their emotions. These patients suffer a poor sense of control. They put extreme focus on rules and regulations governing the way things should be done and would become inflexible to the change or adjust to new rules and regulations. They also have a tendency to minute details of items as well as the procedures and schedules. The focus of taking minutes of details of items is to allow for a follow up to see that the items are done as planned. They also have a focus on developing schedules that would work in the realization of their objectives (Bienvenu, Samuels &Wuyek, et al., 2012). As a result of these tendencies, they tend to lose focus on the objectives and focus on the rules and regulations. As a result of checking on the rules and regulations, they have a tendency to check on the mistakes repeatedly, as well as, to pay more attention to the details of the work that is to be done.
Persons with this personality disorder have a tendency to make bad use of their time or the way they spend their time. This is seen through the way they leave most important tasks that are ahead of them until the end. In many cases, their preoccupation with the details as well as need to ensure that work is perfectly done normally would see delay in the completion of projects. Preoccupation with the attainment of the standards of works and the way it should be done would make many of the projects to remain either incomplete or be completed way after the set timelines (Kushner et al., 2012). In addition, victims of this personality disorder are unaware of how their behavior affects self and other people around them. They may get to focus on one task ending up neglecting all other important aspects of their life.
Moreover, patients of this disorder have difficulty in delegating task as well as with working with other team members within their jurisdiction. Difficulty in delegating tasks and working with others comes as a result of the way these persons would want things to be done in a certain way. Persons suffering from this disorder may have challenges of working with others in a project. For instance, they may get to make detailed lists on the way things should be done. If the way they suggest things should be done is not followed, they may get upset. They may find it a challenge of taking on an alternative way of doing things if the things are to be done in a particular way (Pallanti, Grassi, &Sarrecchia, et al., 2011). They may also reject the needed help they need to work on a project even if they are behind the schedule. This is by the fact that they want to do things by themselves so that it can be done, as they would wish it to be done. This reflects their controlling nature that may make others scared or uncomfortable in working with them.
At the same time, victims of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder are commonly associated with work holism. They have a tendency to dedicate their time and effort excessively to work at the expense of other important activities such as leisure and relationships. They love work and productivity and their focus on work is not necessarily motivated by financial necessity. As a result of this approach to work, most of their relationships are normally neglected or poorly handled. They may have attitudes such as having no time to relax or hang out with friends. At the same time, they may postpone a vacation for the purposes of making it not happen (Pauls, Abramovitch, Rauch & Geller, 2014).They may also feel that they need to take work with them during vacations so that they do not waste time. In many cases, when they take time off with friends, it occurs like a formally organized activity (eg, a sport). They also take Hobbies and recreational activities are vital tasks that require hard work with the goal being perfection.
Patients of obsessive-compulsive personality disorderengage in highly planned activities. They get to plan ahead in great detail and are reluctant in making the necessary changes. Their reluctance and resistance to change may upset or look frustrating to friends and co-workers who may feel not carried along in the project. In addition, persons with this disability tightly control the expression of their affection. They have tendencies of relating with others in the external environment in a formal, serious, and stiff way. In many cases, they do not speak until after they think of the perfect thing and time to say what they would want to say. Most of the patients with this disorder focus on logic and intellect (Ruscio, Stein, Chiu, and Kessler, 2010). At the same time, they exercise intolerance to emotional or expressive behavior expressed by others towards them.
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder patients are overzealous and rigid on issues pertaining ethics, values and morality. They apply rigid moral principles to self and others. To a larger extent, they are harshly self-critical. They have a tendency to demonstrate rigid deferential attitudes to authorities and need for people to comply with the rules. They put a high premium on compliance to rules and do not give exceptions for extenuating circumstances. This happens as a result of their mental and interpersonal control, which happens at the expense of openness, and flexibility. Decision making for such persons may be a time consuming thing, one they may have difficulty in making, and this may lead them not to get started on anything. They also have higher tendencies to get angry or situations they cannot control.
The prevalence of this disorder is high among the people of young adulthood as they transition to higher ages. These symptoms seem to appear in the early adulthood. The tendencies of increased preoccupation with perfectionism begin to be higher in this phase of life as they begin to engage in taking on projects or working with others. The high prevalence of this personality among the young adults and adults is seen in the way these people lead lives. At the young adulthood years, individuals begin to connect with new pressures of life as they deal with new assignments (Ruscio, Stein, Chiu, and Kessler, 2010). In many cases, the disorder will begin to be made manifest through the way they interact with work and other colleagues within their environments.
In addition, there is also a higher prevalence of the development of this disorder among the people who had unaddressed biter pasts. As a result of the inability to deal with the biter past or upbringing, they may have challenges in connecting with others and actually shun away from close relationships. This may also lead to the issues of inflexibility of behavior where the victims may get so rigid to things being done in a particular way (Pallanti, Grassi, &Sarrecchia, et al., 2011). Increased rigidity in the way things should be done may be done as a reflex action to known and unknown fears to making mistakes and errors. As a result of the inflexibility in the way things should be done, they may take a longer period in executing a project that would have otherwise taken a shorter period of time. Perfectionism is increased through their inability to take risks associated with imperfect results.
According to a national survey, study by Kushner et al (2012) that involved Face-to-face interviews with 43,093 adults in the US revealed the prevalence of lifetime OCPD was 7.8%. The study also revealed that the prevalence rates were same for men and women. Additionally, the study found that OCPD was significantly less common in younger adults, Asians and Hispanics. It was found to be higher among the highly schooled persons. The disorder is equally represented in men and women across the divide. The research establishes the need for more in-depth future research in this subject to establish the implications of the disorder in work effectiveness and retention at the workplace.
2.3 Intervention methods
Having analyzed the behavioral patterns, and prevalence of this disorder, it becomes important to study the intervention methods that may be applied in addressing this personality disorder. There are different ways by which the OCPD disorder could be treated. The first approach is psychotherapy. Like other personality disorders, the victim may seek treatment through looking for assistance on items that is happening in their life, which are overwhelming to their coping skills. Through psychotherapy, they may be helped on ways to handle items that are overwhelming. Psychotherapy has been found to be generally effective in helping OCPD patients cope with the situations around them. At the same time, they have been proven to work well in shielding the victim from stress and emotional difficulties that may be common during the times of increased stress, family problems, and work pressure (Kushner et al., 2012). The focus of psychotherapy is initially to offer relief then helps the victim to cope with new challenges effectively.
The second and commonly applied treatment of the disorder is through medications. Medications are commonly applied in the cases where the victim suffers from the disorder and also has other psychiatric disorder. However, in the recent past new medications for OCPD disorder such as Prozac, an SSRI, have been approved. They may be used for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder as a way to provide some relief to the patients. Lastly, there is the self-help method of treatment of the disorder. This method involves personal initiative to overcome the personality tendencies and finding help through emotional and social support that is offered by the immediate family and community.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the study makes clear that Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is one of the popular personality disorders that affect the way people behave and interact with others. The personality disorder is characterized by increased preoccupation in work, perfectionism, and need to follow rules and regulations. Victims of this personality have a tendency to be preoccupied in work and performance at the expense of other important family duties. Orderliness, perfectionism, and attention to details are mainly demonstrated by these patients as they work and interact with colleagues at work or family members at home. The study recommends psychotherapy as an effective treatment method for persons suffering from this personality disorder.
References
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Bienvenu OJ, Samuels JF, Wuyek LA, et al. (2012). Is obsessive-compulsive disorder an anxiety disorder, and what, if any, are spectrum conditions? A family study perspective . Psychol Med 2012; 42:1.
Kushner, G. et al. (2012) Prevalence, correlates, and comorbidity of DSM-IV obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, Journal of Psychiatric Research, Volume 46, Issue 4, April 2012, Pages 469-475.
Pallanti S, Grassi G, Sarrecchia ED, et al. (2011). Obsessive-compulsive disorder comorbidity: clinical assessment and therapeutic implications. Front Psychiatry 2011; 2:70.
Pauls DL, Abramovitch A, Rauch SL., & Geller DA. (2014). Obsessive-compulsive disorder: an integrative genetic and neurobiological perspective. Nat Rev Neurosci 2014; 15:410.
Ruscio AM, Stein DJ, Chiu WT, Kessler RC. (2010). The epidemiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Mol Psychiatry 2010; 15:53.
