What is the Difference between OCPD and ASD?

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Also what is the difference between an obsession with an interest and an ASD special interest?

And last but not least how many special interests do you have? And does one dominate over the others?

OCDC is not the same kind of obsession.

If you do a repeated behavior- and you do it because 'you are afraid something bad will happen if you don't do it' that is Obsession Compulsive Disorder.

If you wash door knobs all of the time because you are afraid of getting germs-then that is likely to be OCD. And you do it daily with such frequency that it interferes with going out into the world and living your life then the behavior is very likely OCD.

On the other hand- if you like to look at doorknobs, you start to collect unattached doorknobs, have a drawer full of unattached doorknobs, buy coffe table books about doorknobs, are an unpaid expert on the history and evolution of doorknobs, and you bore people to death at parties expounding upon the subject of doorknobs, then you may well have an "aspie obsession" with doorknobs. And it is not an OCD obsession with doorknobs.

An OCD obsession, and a special interest, are two very different animals. On the other hand telling an aspie special interest from a nonaspie special interest is more difficult because they are similiar looking animals.

Yes that's right, the only problem is that she was asking about OCPD and you answered the question for OCD and also OCD and OCPD differ.

- OCD and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder: What's the Difference?
- What is the difference between OCD and OCPD?

Don't you start me off lololol. I don't presently have an interest in doorknobs but i am betting a person can actually find some quite interesting doorknob designs over the course of history. I am NOT going to even let myself be tempted to research the history of doorknobs. What I don't want to do is start collecting doorknobs...It's not a good thing to set me off on collecting anything! lol. This is why I won't get into rock collecting...I won't be able to move for rocks, or books about rocks, or documentaries about rocks or films about geologists and their rocks, my blogs will be littered with rocks, in fact I would create a blog just for rocks (or doorknobs) just like I recently created a blog for my latest passion about sharks, and started collecting shark movies, and books on sharks, and documentaries about sharks, and websites on sharks and cuddly toy sharks and videos of sharks and pictures of sharks and I want to learn to sketch and paint so I can draw and paint sharks and....people are already asking what the hell the shark obsession is all about as it is lol or are making comments such as "i see its shark week in Bumble-land" (which seems to amuse me lol).

Anyway, DO NOT get me started on something like doorknobs...this is how it begins. Someone mentions something or I see something and wooosh before you know it.......it's doorknob central in the world that bumble exists in.

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I did indeed want to know about OCPD rather than OCD. I have routines that I hate being changed, altered or disturbed especially on a regular basis or unexpectedly. For example every Saturday I have a movie night with the same flavoured Ice-Cream. I wont change my brand or flavour of ice cream, have been eating the same brand and flavour for 13 years now and can get upset when I cant get my usual flavour or if people insist I should change said flavour or even eat it differently.

Now other people can eat what they want, or how they want, but I hate when they mess with my eating experience. Its like when I have a peanut butter sandwich, I have to have it with a packet of ready salted crisps...I only like it this way and won't eat it any other way. If I can't have it with ready salted crisps, I don't want the peanut butter sandwich.

I also like my sleep environment a certain way..ie have to sleep with the telly on at night (at least whilst im am falling off to sleep...i usually set a timer so it switches off once I have nodded off), I can't sleep without my tickle (a piece of silky material that I like to rub and which I also like to fiddle with during the day) and so on.

There is more, those are just a few examples.

I am not diagnosed with an ASD and have not been tested for one as far as I remember, I have a diagnosis of Social anxiety and depression (I am on disability but I get that mostly for my social issues as I don't cope well with social interaction) so I am wondering if my routines best fit the criteria for OCPD or ASD. I don't think it is OCD as there is no concern about anything bad happening if I don't pursue said routines. I can't explain exactly why I get upset if they are changed (I am sorry I can't find the right words), I just know its not fear of something bad is all so OCD seems unlikely.

To answer your question so far I can. Just looking at the routines it'll be difficult to distingiush OCPD and ASD.
Especially because many autistics fullfill the diagnostic criteria for OCPD:
http://www.gnc.gu.se/digitalAssets/1349 ... utism-.pdf

"4.3.2. Obsessive-compulsive PD
Criteria for obsessive-compulsive PD show substantial
overlap with PDD criteria, particularly those that concern
restricted behavior patterns (criterion B for AS and criterion
A.3 for AD). The major difference across the 2 categories is
as regard age criteria: for obsessive-compulsive PD, the
onset of the behavior has to be at least “early adulthood,”
whereas for PDD, a childhood onset is stipulated. In the text
manual, differential diagnostic difficulties are not mentioned,
and in contrast to schizoid PD and schizotypal PD,
there is no exclusion criterion for PDD. As already
highlighted by Fitzgerald [28], there is a clear risk for
misdiagnosis if PDD/ASD is not considered in patients with
obvious obsessive-compulsive traits."

So it's best to distinguish those two by symptoms that you don't find in OCPD, like sociall issues, sensory issues and motor movement for example.
But of course someone can also have OCPD with autistic tendencies.

Also OCPD is propably underdiagnosed, because it's a commen PD, but you don't find it that often getting diagnosed.
But there is a connection between OCPD and ASD. My grandma had OCPD though.

I've found rather than asking like this, just getting into a conversation with someone about their OCPD and their Autism very interesting, and probably very useful for you.

(I've done this only in the "I know someone with OCPD and we were comparing ourselves, while he was learning more about the autism spectrum" sort of way, but it was definitely the right way to be approaching that given us, and I think it'd be really useful for someone looking for that information like you are.)

But, looking for things that aren't rituals is defiitely somewhere to start, as is childhood.

I was the same in childhood...

Ie had to watch scoobydoo at the same time each or i'd have a tantrum from hell apparently (i am and was prone to terrible tantrums to the point I was labelled as a problem child and at around 7 years old officials wanted me to see a child psychologist. My mum did not want them involved and would not take me).

At 12/13 I saw a psychologist who did tests (not sure which ones, this was back in 1987/88 ) but all they concluded was that I had advanced development that was beyond my years in some areas (intellect, moral development) but that I was behind in other areas (ie I was emotionally immature, over sensitive and too idealistic). I never saw them again after that and that was all I was told. I want those records really. I need to know what they tested for and exactly what the results were.

Academically I fared well, socially I was bullied, ostracised and considered to be weird, hence my social anxiety. I basically don't fit in. I don't know how to make friends and cannot maintain friendships even if i do accidentally make an occasional buddy. Academically I can excel, until it comes to doing group work. I really work best alone. All the same I never completed my degree. The people component did not work out for me.

As a child I had a twitch and the other children would run away from me saying I was pulling faces at them. It did not help.

I am told I talk too much about the same subject, give out too much information and I keep getting accused of doing things I have not done such as deliberately making a social error just to be difficult or annoying. Um....half the time they don't even tell me what I did that was so wrong or why it was so wrong and why I am being socially hung drawn and quartered by everyone!

They yell at me, or point fingers, or ostracise me and I get upset. I can have tantrums during which I can hit myself on the head if I get really really upset, although the really bad ones like that are rare these days, they can still happen.

I also had odd habits...I collected bank forms instead of playing with dolls. It used to drive my parents mad as they couldn't go into a bank with me without my coming out with piles of form such as paying in slips, withdrawal slips, loan forms lol.

I had trouble playing with other children. I had problems with turn taking and wouldn't play anything like pretend tea parties unless my mummy made me real tea to go in my little plastic tea cups (why pretend to have a tea party when you can have a real one?)

I had to have all the tags cut out of my clothing as they drove me mad.
I can't wear certain materials (such as certain wool mixes that scratch)
I hated certain textures

and so on.

Oh Bumble, Your descriptions are so classic Aspie/HFA...You write marvelously, and made me laugh with your sense of self deprecating humor - love the shark pix.

As to the difference, I think it's possibly one of degree and the fear/anxiety and discomfort factor that most people with OCD and OCPD have. People with Autism and Aspies might melt down when overwhelmed, or a vital routine is disrupted...but to my knowledge, it's the fear of bad things happening and the preventive/obessesive 'magical thinking' aspect of OCD that is the dividing line. LIke Raziel said, there's probably a connection and I suspect there can be overlap as well.

Back in 87/88 there just wasn't a good diagnostic tool for your situation. We had Aspergers for twenty two years, but that's been taken away in the DSM V. If you go to someone now, (if they're using the DSM V) then you might be diagnosed with Autism...or the new (non-disability qualifying - no $$$ support services) category of Social Communications Disorder, or OCPD...It just depends on the diagnostician, and if you already qualify for support, it might be a good idea to not rock the boat.

Since you have had the ritual behavior from childhood, it looks like you fall more to the PPD?ASD side of things. A label is just a label...it's not who you are...It's merely a description - no matter what, you are uniquely yourself. If learning about the labels and self-identifying with one helps you - go for it. Otherwise, it might be to your benefit to stay with the diagnosis you have, even if it's less than accurate.

OCPD is more concerned with doing this the correct way or the perfect way which to others may seem odd. Like I eat my toast one set way and don't understand why people don't eat this way too. It bugs me when people eat the 'wrong' way. Usually people with OCPD will go out of their way to make sure their partners and family do everything the 'correct' way and they get stressed when it isn't done right. I get this itchy feeling when someone does something the wrong way whether it's eating, doing the dishes, making food, sitting on a chair etc, it makes me want to sort and tidy things.