Obsessive compulsive personality disorder is characterized in DSM-V as “A pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency”, and is indicated by the prevalence of four or more of the behaviours listed for this diagnosis.

The disorder is conceptually similar to a disorder classified in ICD-10 as anankastic personality disorder.