Mental Health Disorder: Ocpd

Mental health disorder is a widely used terminology that encompasses a broad spectrum of anomalies in the brain or nervous system, which causes the person afflicted with said disorder to act in such a way that they "stick out" from the normal behaviors of the rest of the population. When I say broad spectrum, my meaning is that there are many kinds of mental health disorders a person may be diagnosed with, not to mention that even if more than one person is afflicted by the same disorder, both people may have a different degree of that disorder, and different people may have different symptoms of the same disorder. One such mental health disorder is Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder.

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder, which is also referred to as OCPD, is a very common, if not well known mental health disorder. It is a personality disorder in which orderliness, perfectionism, and control take priority over flexibility, openness, and efficiency. This is not to be confused with obsessive compulsive disorder, which is an anxiety disorder. OCPD occurs in about 1% of the general population, 3-10% of psychiatric outpatients, and males are twice as likely to have OCPD as females.

A person with OCPD may have the ability for remembering and paying attention to minute details and facts, following rules and regulations, also having a compulsion to make lists and schedules. A person with OCPD may also have a rigidity or inflexibility in their beliefs. They also tend to show perfectionism that interferes with completion of tasks. These symptoms of OCPD can cause extreme distress and may interfere with a person's occupational and social functioning.

As the name designates, a person with OCPD has a tendency to obsess. One obsession that is associated with OCPD is cleanliness, which is not totally as easy as it sounds. As a person living with such obsessions, I tend to start with one area, and see something else somewhere and start there, over and over, never actually getting anything really done, which of course ends with me being stressed because I didn't get anything done. I do have a tendency to hoard but have learned to control it, due to an ugly divorce which left me and my children homeless and living as gypsies. Now that I have a home of my own, I do find it hard to throw things away on the off chance I may need them later, and it takes great effort to "get rid" of unnecessary items. I also find it hard to see a person's view of things once I set my point. It is also nearly impossible for me to give up control of anything, even when someone is doing something kind for me, such as cleaning my dishes or picking up my living room. If it isn't done my way I feel as if they shouldn't have bothered because I will have to do it over so that it is done right. I try not to say it out loud as I know it would hurt the person's feelings, but I find it difficult to show gratitude at the same time.

The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) states that OCPD is indicated by four (or more) of the following:

1. Preoccupation with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of activity is lost

2. Shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion (e.g. is unable to complete a project because his