Obsessive-Compulsive Personality 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.

Associated Features

When rules and established procedures do not dictate the correct answer, decision making may become a time-consuming, often painful process. Individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder may have such difficulty deciding which tasks take priority or what is the best way of doing some particular task that they may never get started on anything.

Individuals with this disorder usually express affection in a highly controlled or stilted fashion and may be very uncomfortable in the presence of others who are emotionally expressive. Their everyday relationships have a formal and serious quality, and they may be stiff in situations in which others would smile and be happy (e.g., greeting a lover at the airport).

Many of the features of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder overlap with "type A" personality characteristics (e.g., preoccupation with work, competitiveness, and time urgency), and these features may be present in people at risk for myocardial infarction. There may be an association between Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder and Mood and Eating Disorders .

Diagnostic criteria summarized from:

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.