Perfectionism Disorder - Treatment, Symptoms and Causes

Most people believe that perfectionism is something to aim for and is a worthwhile motivator but the reality is that perfectionism can have a deleterious effect on your well being and health. It can even cause you to experience sudden bouts of anxiety, stress when staring with a new task; in fact those with perfectionism disorder find it hard to accommodate anything new in their lives since it would upset their ‘perfect’ world. It is a serious disorder but one that can affect any age demographic and chances are that you may indeed be suffering from the same, given the high prevalence of this disorder across the world.

While being ‘perfect’ may be something to aim for, the fact remains that perfectionism on its own, can result in several associated health disorders and has been known to trigger sudden anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, stress and eventually, these starts taking a toll on your overall mental and physical health. This is why it is important that you seek out immediate medical attention for yourself or your loved ones so that you can get effective treatment and continue to lead a normal, healthy life. It is vital that you regain a better sense of self worth in order to combat this disorder.

Some of the common causes for this disorder happen to be the way you were raised; more often than not parents are to be blamed for pressuring their children to do better in school and to aim high. As a result, because of these unrealistic expectations and facing abuse from parents when they fail to achieve their goal, these children often grown up to become ‘perfectionists’. As a result, they are rarely satisfied with anything and would not be open to sudden changes, or impulsive acts. Rather they would try to control everyone and everything in their sphere so that it is just perfect. This is a sign of perfectionism disorder, which if not treated on time, can lead to severe health complications. This is why it is advisable that you seek immediate treatment for the same, especially if you suspect that you may have perfectionism disorder. It is important that you schedule an appointment with a counsellor at the earliest.

If you or your loved ones are experiencing some of the symptoms listed below, then chances are that you are indeed suffering from perfectionism disorder. These symptoms include –

• Feeling an inability to succeed in anything you try
• Inability to relax
• Always being on the edge
• Trying to control everyone and everything around you
• Becoming extremely apathetic
• Becoming abusive on being questioned about your need to be perfect

One of the main causes of this disorder is the supposed low self-esteem which is thought to act as a trigger for this behaviour. More often than not you may have experienced abusive behaviour from your parents or your siblings which fostered this low self-esteem in yourself, leading you to think that you must be perfect in order to feel good about yourself. This is why it is important that you seek immediate help in the form of counselling sessions with a reputed therapist.

You need to develop a better sense of self-worth in order to combat this disorder and need to be able to ‘let go’. The disorder can be pervasive and too deeply rooted to be got rid off in a single session, so you may have to schedule repeat sessions, until the therapist is satisfied that you are indeed cured of your perfectionism disorder. It is equally important that you visit your therapist often, so as to prevent relapsing to your older self, and a return to perfectionism disorder.

One of the ways you can avoid developing perfectionism disorder is by –

• Setting realistic goals
• Concentrating on one task at a time
• Recognize that failure is a stepping stone to success
• Accept that no one is perfect no matter how much you may find that thought ‘unbearable’
• Learn to share responsibility and delegate tasks so that you do not have to do everything yourself
• Understand and acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes
• Take baby steps, starting with your cupboard
• Learn to fail and learn to understand and accept that failure

Unlike other disorders, this one comes with less withdrawal symptoms; some of the common ones are the inability to relate to others, including experiencing sudden bouts of anxiety and stress. Your therapist may suggest a few exercises to help you combat these withdrawal symptoms but they should pass away soon and you should be able to get back to your normal life.

What most people fail to realize that this disorder is actually more pervasive than others in the sense that it actually causes you to drive away your friends and loved ones, in your quest to be perfect.