Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a Conceptual Treatment Model for Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has demonstrated efficacy in thousands of clinical trials for eating disorders, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and more. However, ACT has not established efficacy as a treatment for obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) in a clinical trial. The prevalence of OCPD is one of the highest among personality disorders, yet there is a dearth of research regarding empirically supported treatments and the disorder in general. Aspects of OCPD, including perfectionism, mood intolerance, experiential avoidance, and impaired psychosocial functioning, make it particularly suitable for research involving ACT, which aims to increase psychological flexibility. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate a conceptual model for the treatment of OCPD using ACT. Specific strategies and techniques will be discussed. Future research avenues include exploring ACT as a viable treatment for OCPD, as well as the constructs of experiential avoidance and psychological flexibility related to OCPD functioning.