I just finished reading Thomas Lynch's workbook about Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT). There is a lot of interesting information about nonverbal communication.

Studies indicate that nonverbal communication (e.g. tone of voice, facial expression) has a much larger impact on social interactions than the content of what we say.

This information has been added to: "How Self Control and Inhibited Expression Hurt Relationships," my favorite article by Gary Trosclair.

In How To Be Enough (2024), Ellen Hendriksen states, “Research shows that hanging out with someone whose expression doesn’t vary—whether they’re all smiles or all business—makes us anxious and uncomfortable. It literally increases our blood pressure. And because it’s stressful to interact with someone we can’t read, we’re more likely to avoid them in the future.” (245) 

A large body of research shows that body language (e.g. tone of voice, facial expression) has a much larger impact on social interactions than what we say.

Our brains are hardwired by evolution to view ambiguous stimuli—such as a blank facial expression or an unfamiliar sound—as potential threats. Studies have found that people become anxious when interacting with a non-expressive person, and they prefer not to spend time with them. (“Emotional Regulation: Affective, Cognitive, and Social Consequences,” Gross, 2002; “The Social Consequences of Expressive Suppression,” Butler et al., 2003)

People with disorders characterized by overcontrol, such as OCPD, have heightened threat sensitivity. They tend to interpret neutral and ambiguous situations as threatening. They are highly aware of small details, which results in being more likely to notice small changes in someone’s facial expression that are interpreted as rejection. Studies have shown that experiencing physical pain and perceived social rejection results in similar brain activity. (“Why Rejection Hurts: A Common Neural Alarm System For Physical and Social Pain,” Eisenberger and Lieberman, 2004)

Hi everyone, I hope this post is ok...

Over the past month or so, I have educated myself more on OCPD, and I'm seeing a lot of symptoms/behaviours in myself that line up. I have diagnosed ADHD, and major impostor syndrome, so I'm really unsure and hesitant to even move forward. I'm currently not seeing a psych (can't afford one, and I'm above the age for bulk-billed access in Australia), I don't know if I should try and save up to see someone.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone else had had similar experiences - doubting themselves, pinning symptoms on other diagnoses like ADHD or other psychological factors. Did an OCPD assessment/diagnosis help you? Do you find any specific therapeutic approaches help you once there is an understanding of a personality disorder?

How does one even approach a professional? I have so much anxiety even bringing up the possibility to my partner and my closest friends... let alone my GP. Has anyone had experiences where they truly suspected OCPD, but were shut down by a practitioner?

Some context: I'm F(26) living in Australia. I have ADHD and have suspected ASD (though no formal diagnosis as yet). In short - I have long attributed my perfectionism, hyper-fixations, need for control, order, and difficulty with change etc. to suspected autism, accompanied with my difficulties with deadlines, task completion, and self-regulation with ADHD. Now, I have no idea what to think, and the uncertainty has begun to bother me more and more. Much of my identity surrounds my mental health and how I manage it, as I have a long history of mental health experience. Not being sure, or feeling like an imposter, makes me so anxious.

So, if anyone has any words or advice, reassurance, or stories/experiences to help me draw from down the road, I would appreciate you so so much!

If you've read this, thank you :) I hope you have a wonderful day, stranger <3