Your Daughter and Compulsive Personality Disorder …Here’s How We See It at Columbus Girls Academy
We can help your daughter if she has Compulsive Personality Disorder, sometimes called Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder. OCPD is characterized as being fixated with perfectionism and control, showing itself in highly driven (often, first born) children. Your girl may not find it easy to be decisive, and be oversensitive to criticism, struggle with being adaptable or willing to try new situations, as she is seeking perfection in virtually everything she does. She may show repetitive behaviors (as in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder*) that are beyond her control to stop, have a preoccupation with details, rules and lists, and even be a workaholic.
She is likely to toil with her own expectations as well as perceived expectations of those around her.
Causes are believed to be an interlinking of environmental, genetic factors and unbalanced brain chemistry.
*Note: while sometimes used interchangeably, OCPD is not to be confused with OCD. An OCD sufferer has unwanted thoughts, but an OCPD sufferer believes her thinking to be correct and natural.
This is Why We’re Here
There are no blood tests to confirm your daughter’s diagnosis; a professional must determine whether her symptoms and life history meet the criteria. Her thinking may be so automatic that she does not recognize this problem, possibly not even realizing it until her world falls apart.
Persistent group/individual and long-term therapy can be quite valuable in improving her environment, but your daughter is likely to be unwilling to change. It is important to remember that she has not chosen to have these compulsive thoughts and so any judgment, actual or perceived, only increases the stress she already faces. It is important to encourage her, to help her be comfortable in new ways of thinking, and accept her, rather than judge her for her compulsive behaviors.
Support groups are an excellent adjunct, as a means to gain emotional and social support from the community, assuring your daughter’s continuing autonomy and steadiness.
About Columbus Girls Academy
For parents who feel they have tried every option (counseling, medications, mental health, social services, school changes), we offer an alternative program, designed to help your daughter before she become ensnared in a dysfunctional adult lifestyle.
Each student is specially assigned to the caseload of a CGA on-site mentor. Along with individual and group mentoring, our team is also responsible to ensure a smooth delivery of all of CGA’s services to the student and family. The team member is the point of contact for the family, available to answer questions and give updates on the students progress.
Group sessions occur on a regular basis, guided by our trained team members here at CGA. This time is utilized to allow students an opportunity to grapple with and resolve commonly faced issues. Students learn to constructively express their thoughts, ideas, and questions in an environment where each member is accepted and respected. Group sessions are not utilized to scrutinize individual members or to glorify past poor decisions.
