Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder

What are the characteristics of obsessive compulsive personality disorder?

You must have come across people who tend to be more neat, tidy, orderly and clean than others. Although, these personal traits prove beneficial in certain situations an over-dose of it is known as obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD. In this type of disorder, people are so obsessed by the act of tidying themselves that they intrude these activities in their daily routine. They often spend several hours behind tidying, ordering and checking things, which ultimately interfere in the other business activities of importance.

Though obsessive-compulsive disorder is responsible for causing rare behavior disturbance, recent studies have indicated that as many as 2 to 3 percent of the general population suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. The major reason behind these prevailing rates is that people having this disorder hesitate to tell others about their problem.

This disorder tends to affect men and women in equal numbers. However, there are chances that in some compulsions men can outnumber women and vice-versa. Though many instances of Obsessive-compulsive disorders begin in young adulthood and adolescence, about half of the cases of obsessive compulsive personality disorder begin in childhood. The age of its onset is much earlier in males than females.

It is not that obsessions and compulsions are inter-related. Many times obsessions come without compulsions. The reality is, as much as 20 percent of people suffering from OCD only have obsessions and not compulsions. These obsessions are mostly related to fear of causing harm to person whom they love.

Obsessions are recurring thoughts, images, ideas, or impulses that are senseless but still come in the mind of the person having OCD whereas compulsions are rituals or behaviors, which the person executes to drive away the anxiety that is driven by the obsessions. In obsessions, you recognize fears and try to suppress them, which in fact, have no relevance to your real life problems whereas in compulsions you compel yourself to perform unreasonable rituals in order to ward off your anxiety. For instance say, you wash your hands repeatedly to overcome a fear of being contaminated.

However, the main causes of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder causes of Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder have not yet come into light. Studies indicate that there are a number of psychological and biological causes responsible for OCD. It also happens due to neurobiological causes such as deficiency of the neurotransmitter, serotonin in the brain.

The symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can often be accompanied by depression. The pre-occupation with the obsessions can intensify or wither with depression. There is also some kind of phobic avoidance associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. For instance say, a person who is obsessed about dirt stops touching doorknobs of public restrooms with the fear of catching an infection or a disease.

However, as the saying goes, that for every malady there is always a remedy. The same goes with Obsessive-compulsive disorder. A person can get over OCD through many ways. The treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder mainly involves Relaxation Training, cognitive therapy, Exposure and Response prevention (ERP), Medication, and Lifestyle and Personality changes.

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