Which statement correctly contrasts obsessive-compulsive disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder regarding insight or ego-syntonicity?

Which statement correctly contrasts obsessive-compulsive disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder regarding insight or ego-syntonicity?

• A. OCD is ego-syntonic; OCPD is ego-dystonic.
• B. OCD is ego-dystonic obsessions/compulsions; OCPD is ego-syntonic perfectionism and control beliefs.
• C. Both are ego-syntonic.
• D. OCPD is an anxiety disorder.

Answer: (B)

Insight and ego-syntonicity drive the distinction. Obsessions and compulsions in OCD are experienced as intrusive, unwanted, and distressing, and most people recognize they’re irrational—this is ego-dystonic. In contrast, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder features perfectionism, orderliness, and a need for control that fit with the individual’s self-image, so these traits are ego-syntonic. That combination makes the statement describing OCD as ego-dystonic and OCPD as ego-syntonic the best fit. The other options misstate this contrast or misclassify OCPD as an anxiety disorder.

Insight and ego-syntonicity drive the distinction. Obsessions and compulsions in OCD are experienced as intrusive, unwanted, and distressing, and most people recognize they’re irrational—this is ego-dystonic. In contrast, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder features perfectionism, orderliness, and a need for control that fit with the individual’s self-image, so these traits are ego-syntonic. That combination makes the statement describing OCD as ego-dystonic and OCPD as ego-syntonic the best fit. The other options misstate this contrast or misclassify OCPD as an anxiety disorder.