Original Question:
For this week's Forum, respond to the following: What are the key features that distinguish between Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? Among the Cluster B Personality Disorders, how does a clinician differentially diagnose among Borderline, Histrionic, and Narcissistic Personality Disorders; in other words, what are the key distinguishing features among them?
Reply to the following response with 200 words minimum. (please make response as if having a conversation, respond directly to some of the statements in below post. This is not providing an analysis of the original post. Respectfully address it and even ask clarifying or additional questions.)
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder or OCPD is a chronic, maladaptive pattern if dealing with life's challenges as well as other people. Individuals with OCPD have an excessive need for perfection and they feel the need to control every aspect of their environment (Kelly, 2017). These individuals preoccupy themselves with rules, lists, details, organization so much that they tend to forget what their major point of anxiety is. OCPD tends to make people have an excessive demotion for work with impedes on their ability to spend time with friends and family (Kelly, 2017). These individuals also are rigid with their morals, ethics or values and they seem to have an inability to get rid of items that hold no value.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD is an anxiety disorder versus it being a personality disorder. They have recurrent obsessions and compulsions. Their obsessions include ideas, thoughts or images that they cannot rid their mind of, excessively worries about everyday problems and they distress to the point that it would cause them to rid themselves of their obsession by thinking other thoughts or through compulsions (Kelly, 2017). Compulsions are more complex. These are behaviors that an individual will feel they must carry out such as cleaning, checking, counting or ensuring symmetry. Compulsions aim at getting rid of anxiety and have unrealistic solutions to problems.
The biggest difference between OCPD and OCD is having a presence of true compulsions and obsessions. Individuals with OCPD do not have obsessions and compulsions. Basically, even though OCPD and OCD mean an individual excessively engages in tasks, individuals with OCD use the tasks to reduce their anxiety, have stress about the tasks and spend more time engaged in doing these tasks (Kelly, 2017). Those with OCPD will justify their intense task, view their activities as beneficial and necessary and do not spend as much time in these rituals. Those with OCD tend to seek professional help due to the psychological stress of having to carry out the compulsions. Those with OCPD will get treatment only because of the conflict that can arise between them and their family members (Kelly, 2017). OCD symptoms also fluctuate whereas OCPD is chronic and has little change to an individual's personality.
Histrionic personality disorder is generally characterized by a pattern of extreme emotions and attention seeking. These individuals are consumed with having drama in their lives and are not comfortable if they are not the center of attention (Hoermann, 2013). These individuals may be more seductive and dress to gain attention. They also may appear more flamboyant and have an exaggerated degree of expressing their emotions. Their exaggerated emotions and need for expression tend to embarrass their friends and they may be more fickle. They are more susceptible to being influenced by others.
A Narcissistic personality disorder means that these individuals have problems with their sense of self-worth due to their need for entitlement (Hoermann, 2013). Due to this, they tend to believe that they deserve to have special treatment and believe that they have special powers, are talented or that they are more intelligent or attractive than others. They tend to be more preoccupied with fantasies of success and power. These fantasies can consume their life and they can appear to be more arrogant (Hoermann, 2013). They tend to feel devastated when they make the realization that they have limitations and that they are not as special as they think they are.
Borderline personality disorder leads an individual to have intense as well as unstable emotions and moods (Hoermann, 2013). They have issues calming down when they become upset and this leads to impulsive behaviors. These impulsive behaviors may be substance abuse, self-injury or binge eating. They have a tendency to see the world as being polarized and apply their harsh judgment's on others and themselves (Hoermann, 2013). They also tend to change their careers more frequently, change their life goals, relationships or where they live.
Question to the class: Do you think the personality disorders listed on the second part of our forum can be debilitating? Have you ever known someone who may display these disorders, and if so, have you seen these behaviors described or were they more hidden?