Problems Confused with OCD:
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD):
People with OCPD are often overly punctual, orderly, perfectionistic,
excessively devoted to work, preoccupied with details and rules, rigid
and stingy and many insist that others abide by their way of doing
things. Some of these traits may occur in people with OCD, however,
they aren't related to the typical obsessions and compulsions
characteristic of OCD. It is important that OCD and OCPD not be
confused with each other because their treatment differs.
1 People with OCPD are often more resistant to getting treatment.
Substance abuse, sexual addiction, compulsive overeating and compulsive gambling:
People
with these problems act compulsively but not in response to an
obsession. With each of these issues, the person derives pleasure and/or
a high from engaging in their activity of choice.
2 In contrast, when engaging in compulsions, a person with OCD simply experiences relief from their obsession and/or anxiety.
Delusional thoughts:
Delusional thoughts are thoughts not grounded in reality but are
believed to be true by the person experiencing them. Paranoid delusions
are common in paranoid disorders and schizophrenia.
3
People with OCD are generally able to recognize that their obsessive
thoughts are irrational even if they behave in response to them. In the
past, people with OCD were misdiagnosed as schizophrenic because some
of their thoughts and beliefs resembled delusions.
Endnotes
- Baer, L. (2000). Getting Control: Overcoming Your Obsessions and Compulsions. New York: Plume. 25, 26.
- Ibid. 27.
- Ibid. 28.