ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the DSM-IV criteria for diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. From a practical psychopharmacological treatment standpoint, obsessive-compulsive personality symptoms are best considered a mild form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The first-line medications for obsessive-compulsive symptoms, whether they are part of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, schizophrenia, or anxiety, are the serotonergic antidepressants, clomipramine or venlafaxine. For practical treatment purposes, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder may be considered a very mild form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Antiobses-sional medications are generally more effective for symptoms of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder than for severe cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Although fluvoxamine is approved for the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder, its actions are like other SSRIs and it is effective for the SSRI indications such as depression and anxiety. The criteria for initiating treatment should be: finding even one obsessive-compulsive feature which is causing distress to the patient or others; and the patient is interested in treatment.
