Posted by lars1 on February 2, 2005, at 0:41:54
In reply to Re: Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder » lars1, posted by Questionmark on January 31, 2005, at 5:49:31
> Hope this post is helpful.
Thanks. It was. When I read the DSM description of OCPD in Ron Hill's post, it was as if he was describing me personally!
I too have tried cognitive-behavioral therapy. I found it very helpful for depressive symptoms, but only slightly helpful for obsessive/compulsive symptoms. With CBT, I could see that my perfectionism was unnecessary and counterproductive, and I could understand the cognitive distortions behind it, but somehow that wasn't enough to let me stop being perfectionistic. I was doing this on my own, using David Burns' books. Maybe I would have had more success with a therapist.
I'm currently taking stimulants (Adderall + Wellbutrin) and have been considering if they have any effect on obsessiveness/compulsiveness. When I am on them, I have a strong tendency to continue doing whatever I am currently doing. This could be interpreted as a kind of "obsessiveness." However, when I look at the OCPD symptoms from the DSM, I find that, if anything, stims help them. So, while stims (for me) may cause obsessiveness in the general sense, they don't cause it in the specific way that the DSM means it.
Lars
poster:lars1
thread:441138
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050128/msgs/451470.html