Diaries of an OCPDer

OCPD, Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder, is a cluster C personality disorder characterized by high rigidity, inability to relax, extremely strong moral convictions, and a preoccupation with order and control. It is often seen alongside anxiety and mood disorders, and as all cluster C personality disorders, is comorbid with all cluster Cs.

According to the DSM-5, OCPD diagnostic criteria are as follows:

Is preoccupied by 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 their 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, and values (not accounted for by cultural or religious affiliation)

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 their way of doing things

Adopts miserly spending style toward both self and others; money is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes

Shows rigidity and stubbornness.

A personality disorder must have long-standing distress or deficits in social, occupational, and other areas of functioning. I personally meet 6 of the 8 criteria and this blog will be an attempt at tracking both my struggles and my progress in recovery. I also have auDHD and PTSD (among a few other conditions), which, in my non-professional opinion, are part of what create and perpetuate my OCPD symptoms. After all, personality disorders are aggregations of symptoms with no singular cause; rather, a combination of biological and environmental conditions are thought to produce these combinations of symptoms.

I will tag struggle posts as ocpd struggles, and successes as ocpd wins. all my posts will get ocpd experiences and ocpd recovery.