How to Distinguish Between OCD and OCPD

Recognising differences in symptoms

Assess for obsessions. OCPD does not include the same level of obsessive behaviour. Individuals with OCD often experience overwhelming and intrusive thoughts, images, and urges. Common obsessions among OCD patients include: Contamination: Intense fear stemming from body fluids, germs, household chemicals, and/or environmental pollutants. Sexual: Unwanted sexual thoughts and mental images. Violent: Excessive fear of harming oneself or someone else, or excessive mental images of violence or horror. Religious: An obsessive fear of God or religious figures, or going to Hell. Identity: Obsessive thoughts regarding sexual orientation or gender identity. Responsibility: Fear of something terrible happening and being the one responsible, or fear of causing harm by not being perfectly careful. Perfectionism: An obsessive concern with being perfect. Relationships: Excessive fear about one’s partner and the flaws and qualities of the partner.

Look for compulsions. Except in pure O OCD, compulsions are typically present and persistent. These compulsions directly relate to the obsessions, in some form, and make an individual temporarily feel better. These are not present in OCPD. Common compulsions include: Excessive washing and cleaning Repeating words or tasks Overchecking situations to make sure that you did not harm others Rearranging things until they feel right Counting while doing a task Praying to prevent harm

Recognise OCPD specific symptoms. Look for traits that are relevant only to OCPD. Some symptoms are specific to OCPD. Specific symptoms of OCPD that aren't necessarily present in OCD include: Obsessive devotion to work that affects other activities Obsessive fixation on rules, lists, and minor details The inability to finish or start tasks due to excessive perfectionism Obsession with moral and ethical codes Hoarding tendencies

Analyse rigidity in symptoms. In OCD, one's behaviour may fluctuate. OCPD however, is more rigid and persistent with its presentation. While one with OCD may experience changing behaviours based on how they feel about their obsession day to day, people experiencing OCPD have much more set-in-stone behaviours that revolve more around perfectionist tendencies. OCD: fluctuation in stressful symptoms. OCPD: rigid, unchanging, persistent behavioural symptoms.

Notice distress, or lack thereof, from symptoms. People suffering from OCPD tend to think their behaviours are normal and don't take distress from them, as opposed to OCD in which the symptoms cause extreme distress in an individual. Individuals with OCPD tend to lack the self-awareness that they're doing something unusual, seeing their behaviours as having a purpose, unlike OCD where one is frustrated and distressed by their uncontrollable behaviours. OCD: frustration and distress from symptoms, fluctuation in symptoms. OCPD: behaviours that one believes are functional and aren't abnormal.

Check for ritualistic behaviour as opposed to general perfectionism. People with OCD exhibit ritualistic and repetitive behaviours known as compulsions, whereas sufferers of OCPD just show signs of intense perfectionism in all areas of life. OCD: rituals and compulsions. OCPD: all round perfectionism.

Recognising similarities, and their causes

Look for a preoccupation with order. Both OCPD and OCD can have tendencies toward being preoccupied with the order of objects and tasks. Notice this fixation with order, which might be more present in those with OCPD. OCD can cause this, but it's based on the level of anxiety experienced that day rather than a rigid structural fixation.

Check for rigid behaviours and fixations. Both OCD and OCPD can be characterised by fixations on perfectionism; however, one with OCD will be distressed by this. In OCPD, an individual may not realise they have perfectionistic tendencies beyond the norm, instead thinking they're just productive and cautious.

Recognise a difficulty tolerating uncertainty. Both disorders cause a tendency towards difficulty tolerating uncertain situations. For those with OCPD, this can be caused by the need to be perfect and know what exactly is happening. OCD-affected individuals, however, will have a much deeper fear of uncertainty and may develop rituals to self-soothe.

Notice the impact on daily functioning. Both disorders are characterised by a severe impact on day-to-day life. This may be because of difficulty starting tasks, and hoarding tendencies in OCPD. In OCD, an individual will spend a lot of their time thinking about their obsessions and performing their compulsions. This leads to not having much time to do anything else, as well as extreme distress if one tries not to perform their rituals.

Moving forward

Acknowledge the comorbidities with other disorders. There are many disorders that you may confuse with or have in combination with OCD or OCPD. To properly distinguish between any of these, you must see a professional. These disorders may be similar or also present: Autism ADHD Substance use disorder Eating disorders Mood and anxiety disorders Other personality disorders: Paranoid personality disorder Schizotypal personality disorder Dependant personality disorder Avoidant personality disorder

Seek professional support. To understand what disorder you are experiencing, seek professional support from either a professional specialising in personality disorders or OCD, depending on which one you think you most likely have. This support can help you work through your symptoms for either condition.

Explore treatment options. Talk with a professional to decide on which treatments will be right for you and your disorder. There are many treatment options for these disorders. Some of those include: CBT. (Cognitive behavioural therapy) Psychodynamic therapy. Medication. generally an antidepressant Relaxation/meditation. Especially for OCPD.

Build healthy coping strategies. Both disorders will benefit from building healthy coping strategies. Basic strategies for mental coping tend to benefit both disorders and one's mental well-being. Keeping a journal. This can help you manage your OCD obsessions/compulsions, or work through your personality disorder. Remind yourself of the facts. Remembering that your behaviours are something to work on and that your thoughts are not reality is essential. Basic self-care. Engaging in self-care is bound to help you with your symptoms of either disorder. Examples of self-care include: Exercising Drinking water Eating a nutritional diet Prioritising sleep

Find support groups. Find online or in-person support groups for OCD or OCPD. This can help you get real-life support from others who understand your issues on a deeper level than those without the disorders. This also will help with your mental health, as connecting with others who understand you is essential for your health.