Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder - OCPD

I'm Kati Morton, a licensed therapist making Mental Health videos!
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[violinbird]

The way I best describe OCPD is that I am a slave to myself. I relate so much with every point: I take little to no enjoyment in the process of completing my tasks (and only get minor temporary relief when completed), get lost in the details of a project or terrified of doing something because I'm scared of making mistakes, and am OBSESSED with to-do lists and productivity. The overscrupulosity appears more in my rigid adherence to goals and frustrating inability to spend money on "unnecessary" things. I don't collect things though - I'm the exact opposite: constantly purging, cleaning, and feeling anxious about owning items. My ability to work with others and compromise has significantly improved.

[Unbelievable]

I don't think I've really told you how much I appreciate you doing these videos for us, and for that I am sorry. I really do appreciate you and all your hard work to educate us on mental health!

[PotjehovaRakija]

Finnaly, oh finally something I can identify with! I've searched YEARS for the answer and must admit, I'm a bit angry that not a single one of my psychiatrists or psychologists ever told me about this personality disorder. I literally listed them all of these symptoms!

[paulmarynissen]

There is an overlap between OCPD and autism, having both, I used to find it hard to understand why everyone else didn’t think like me. Videos like this help me to see other perspectives. Thank you for the videos.

[nickyc]

Ocpd has been ruining my life for about 15 years now. Has ruined relationships. Has made me be one of the best at work. Has made life miserable in general.

[Stuio]

I score 8/8 (Perfection :).
OCPD is very difficult to identify mainly for a few reasons.
1/ Perfection in perceived differently by everybody.
2/The persons natural ability will dictate the level of perfection that can be achieved by the individual and observed by others.
3/If a OCPD sufferer is naturally good at something this can just look like they are a high achiever to others.
4/If a OCPD sufferer is bad at something they simply will avoid it so nobody will possible know.
5/If a OCPD sufferer is forced to do something that they are not good at and suffer major anxiety, they are offered sympathy by others (people are nice about it). Which makes them believe they did it perfectly so after they will get a big rush. But after self analysing they truly know they did bad and will become depressed. (i know trust me).
6/OCPD IS PERSONAL TO THAT PERSON NO OTHER PERSON CAN HAVE THE SAME IDEAS OF PERFECTION!
So basically you can only help yourself by realising how OCPD effects you and others because of your behaviour and naturally because you are a perfectionist you will achieve your goal! :)

[stregadisalem]

I think theres also an anxiety and a crippling indecisiveness that comes with OCPD. And like you said it stems from a fear of not being prepared or losing something important and in the moment it feels satisfying to have things a certain way but in the long run the inability to get rid of the stupidest things of sentimental value ends up becoming an emotional and physical burden in your life. It becomes very exhausting when you’re trying to move from one place to another. Thanks for the video!

[manal]

I just diagnosed with OCPD and it felt great to know yourself more, I was struggling with my relationship especially with my boyfriend because I wanted from him to treat me in a perfect way “in my definition of perfect”, I know now that it was my mind, my way of thinking. Now I have the desire to change in a better way, I want to reach that gray mind-set not a black and white mind-set. Pray for me.

[ama]

I have OCPD and major depression (both diagnosed by my psychiatrist) so imagine how AWFUL it is. I'm a perfectionist when I can't even get anything done. So here where comes the feeling of guilt and worthlessness. It feels like the end of the world when I didn't finish everything on my to-do list. Even if it's as simple as "refill the water bottle". Like i know it is supposed to be okay if I couldn't do it today and had to do it tomorrow, i still can't take it. I feel worthless if I didn't do this simple task even if i finished 1000 difficult tasks. I have no control over it. But I'm trying with my psychiatrist to get over it.

[Deutschehordenelite]

Not like I needed another "confirmation" but yep, pretty spot on. One thing to add, Id say it's less "comfort" than avoiding "discomfort" while those things still feel like chores. (sometimes) Everything feels like a chore to me..
Add anxiety and depression onto that and your world is in a state of chaos most of the time.

[dominiqueevans]

I love this video so much. As a mum with ocpd I am terrified of how it's affecting my daughter and my relationship with my fiance and this is the first time I've heard someone talk about it without judgement or condemnation. I don't want to make people miserable but my brain cries when things are not right. It's hard to find that balance

[arkieologist]

I appreciate you making the distinction with OCD and the ego part. Very big in knowing how it makes someone feel internally.

[KatM]

Thank you for believing that we can change. I've learned that I have this for over a year now, and all of ocpd is not a curse but I don't want my perfectionism to ruin my parenting ability, don't want it to hurt my relationships with friends and family, I want to change. I want to believe that it's possible for me to change.

[stick]

I've never heard of this disorder before, but it explains my life so perfectly. Thanks for the help!

[TheGarnetObsidian]

Sincere thanks for taking the time to make this helpful video. My mother displays most of these traits; she seeks "leisure" activities that involve planning and organizational rules (event planning and meetings). This personality disorder has a high incidence of behavioral transmission within a family; I see where my behavior has been reinforced toward OCPD strategies. Driving my mother to appointments involves her yelling at me; she narrates her every thought, and has endless expectations about each part of the route. I notice how overwhelmingly frustrated she gets whenever anything occurs spontaneously, often these occurances work out for the better -- but, she refuses to acknowledge it and rages for days. There are myriad "disruptions" to her daily tasks. Observing this, I often think it must be a nightmare in her head and how I should have more compassion for her. On my end, it feels like walking a tightrope over aligators. The rules change and become more complex, and the yelling is unsettling.

[SimplyZed]

I love this. Thank you for making these videos Kati, they're really helpful in trying to get my friends/family to understand me better. I think it's important that people recognise that OCPD isn't the same as OCD.

[bellafrangipani]

THANK YOU! I was diagnosed with OCPD in 2019, and it honestly rules my life. I need order in my life; I feel an intense need for rigidity and am relatively inflexible if things do not go to the plan that I have in my mind. I have obsession with rules - laws, legislation, rules in general - to the point of regularly pointing out the behaviour and actions of those around me, and often focussing on things such as the dangerous driving of other drivers to the point of anxiety attacks, feeling genuinely fearful, at my worse, that a friend or family member will cause me injury due to behaviour such as speeding, say even 5kms above, or accidentally running an amber light. I would only too often complete assessments with 500 - 1000 word over word count because I was preoccupied with explaining repeatedly in different manners, I wanted to ensure that my argument was perfect in my mind. I would work myself into crippling anxiety attacks in which I would vomit, suffer diarrhoea, punch walls, kick walls; sadly to this day, these behaviours are crippling at times of severe anxiety. Given my dual diagnosis, it's little wonder that I am only too often ruled by perfection and the inability to recognise and take pride in my successes and achievements but I wind-up feeling worthless and useless because I have the compulsive desire to compare and value others as "better" than myself.

[doartichaut]

I really enjoyed this video thanks for posting.

I have noticed there are two distinct types of OCPD even though both types do share most traits overall.
The two distinct types are one is a hoarder type who has difficulty throwing things away, and the other is the clean freak who compulsively cleans or tidies their surroundings yet who probably doesn’t have the same desire to compulsively shop or obtain as much stuff as the hoarder type and the cleaner type can also throw stuff away without as much of an issue about it.

Both types that I have encountered have their own rigid schedules, habits and beliefs though. Be it political, lifestyle or spiritual they are both inflexible on whatever their beliefs are.

I’ve also noticed the comorbidity of frequent occurrence of having both OCD and OCPD.

[b-art]

I had a father like this, at least before his last stroke. The stroke changed his character significantly. Best way to describe living like this is a "concentration camp", rules applied to everybody in the family except to himself. It took me 33 years of headbutting with him before he admitted I made a man of myself he could never for himself. I achieved this by creativity, bold action, open-mindedness, risk-taking, practicality, try and fail methods...everything he condemned full-heartedly :)

[maddiejoy]

Oh hey that sounds like me! Like all of it. Except that I usually can get rid of things that are worn down or worthless, sometimes it just takes a little while for me to convince myself I really won't need it again.