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← Back to blogWhat is Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD), and what are its symptoms?
The most common personality disorder in the general population is Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD), a condition most people have never heard of. According to meta-analysis data, it affects 4.32% of the population—a higher rate than any other personality disorder.
Because of the similarity in their names, OCPD is often confused with OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). 🧠 However, the unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) seen in OCD are not present in OCPD; people with OCPD generally do not see their own rigidity as a problem. Experimental measures showing a markedly greater capacity to delay gratification in OCPD than in OCD support this distinction.
Two distinct clinical presentations have been described: the rule-bound and angry "controlling type" and the procrastinating and self-critical "anxious type." Approximately one-quarter of individuals diagnosed with OCD also have OCPD; in treatment-seeking populations, OCPD, along with borderline personality disorder, is associated with the highest economic burden among personality disorders.
The first-line evidence-based treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy: an open-label study reported a marked reduction in symptoms in 83% of participants. 📎 In the only randomized controlled medication trial, fluvoxamine was found to be significantly superior to placebo.
This content does not constitute diagnostic or treatment advice.
References: Volkert ve ark. (2018), Br J Psychiatry · Pozza ve ark. (2021), Harvard Rev Psychiatry · Pinto ve ark. (2013), Biol Psychiatry · Pinto, Teller & Wheaton (2022), FOCUS · Skodol ve ark. (2002), Am J Psychiatry