How to Treat Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

An obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is characterized by a fanatical pursuit of perfection, especially in regards to rules, details, order and organization. This will often come at the cost of flexibility, openness and especially the "big picture" of any given situation. Through various types of psychotherapy and prescription medication, it is possible to treat an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Things You'll Need

• Antidepressants, such as Prozac
• Psychiatrist or psychologist

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Instructions

Treat an Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

• 1

  Identify the symptoms that characterize obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. These include being so preoccupied with the details of an activity that the whole goal of the activity is forgotten, an obsession with perfectionism, a preference to work over leisure activities, an inflexibility or inability to deal with last-minute changes and a refusal to delegate tasks to others for fear of it not being done properly.

• 2

  Visit a qualified mental health professional in order to obtain a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Often an individual with this disorder will be unusually compliant with the course of treatment, and will be able to discuss all aspects of the disorder calmly, accurately and objectively. In fact, many therapists enjoy treating obsessive-compulsive personality disorders because it is so easy to gain compliance from the patient.

• 3

  Treat an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder through the use of personalized psychotherapy in order to find the root causes and extent of the disorder. A long-term course of such therapy should be avoided since excessive examinations of the behavior could cause a new set of obsessive-compulsive traits to emerge in place of the old ones. Psychotherapy should be concise and efficient by using behavior modification whenever possible.

• 4

  Consider short-term use of some antidepressants, such as Prozac, to treat some of the more severe cases of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Avoid using this medication for long-term use, however, since it may only serve to conceal, rather than cure, any symptoms of this particular personality disorder.

• 5

  Join a support group in conjunction with individualized psychotherapy in order to regain a sense of connection with others. By discussing your specific obsessive-compulsive behaviors with others who share your disorder, you will be able to examine yourself more objectively. This is also an excellent option for people who cannot afford psychotherapy or other forms of treatment.