Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is a personality disorder that’s characterised by extreme perfectionism, order, and neatness. People with OCPD will also feel a severe need to impose their own standards on their outside environment.

People with OCPD have the following characteristics:

• They find it hard to express their feelings.
• They have difficulty forming and maintaining close relationships with others.
• They’re hardworking, but their obsession with perfection can make them inefficient.
• They often feel righteous, indignant, and angry.
• They often face social isolation.
• They can experience anxiety that occurs with depression.

OCPD is often confused with an anxiety disorder called obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, they aren’t the same.

People with OCPD have no idea that there’s anything wrong with the way they think or behave. They believe that their way of thinking and doing things is the only correct way and that everyone else is wrong.

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The symptoms of OCPD include:

• perfectionism to the point that it impairs the ability to finish tasks
• stiff, formal, or rigid mannerisms
• being extremely frugal with money
• an overwhelming need to be punctual
• extreme attention to detail
• excessive devotion to work at the expense of family or social relationships
• hoarding worn or useless items
• an inability to share or delegate work because of a fear it won’t be done right
• a fixation with lists
• a rigid adherence to rules and regulations
• an overwhelming need for order
• a sense of righteousness about the way things should be done
• a rigid adherence to moral and ethical codes

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