[Questioner]

I have a quick question - I may be in the wrong forum for this discussion, but I haven't seen anything on it.

Can latent Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder manifest itself in manic incidents/Bipolar symptoms? My fiancee just broke up with me, and was disagnosed with Bipolar several years ago, but was off lithium in a month, and has been symptom-free for several years. However, her way of coping has been to create an extensive and rigid behavioral-structural pattern that appears to be almost textbook OCPD. I'm wondering if it was latent and genetic (her mother has similar mental issues - almost never leaves the house, will not use her kitchen but is fastidious about its organization, etc.) and that the OCPD always existed but was never detected, because on the surface "perfectionism" is seldom recognized as a negative mental issue. Under stress, such as graduating from high-school or starting college, can a loss of personal time and space for an individual with OCPD tendencies set off insomnia and mania? And can a return to the rigid structure that OCPD people find reassuring become more embedded and more undetectable if it becomes a coping mechanism for dealing with the potential loss of control that can come with bipolar symptoms?

Crazy theory - I know: But I have to ask.

[wingater]

I do know one woman with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder who has an extremely pronounced habit of cleaning house obsessively during her manic moments and I could easily envision where she could do well with a dual diagnosis.