Mental Health Issues- A Perfectionist Face

1. Mental Health Issues- A PerfectionistFace For generations people have associated perfectionism with successful/ high achieving behaviour. This quality is appreciated and considered to be a healthy motivator. Meaning of Perfectionist / Perfectionism According to Thomas Curran and Andrew P Hill, perfectionism is “a combination of excessively high personal standards and overly critical self-evaluation”. In simpler words, it is the need to appear or be perfect. Generally, perfectionists have extremely high expectations of

2. themselves, and even if they somehow manage to achieve them, they are still dissatisfied. In their eyes, what they do is never good enough. General Types of Perfectionism Gordon Flett and Paul Hewitt- 2 psychologists who have dedicated decades to understanding perfectionist personality and behaviour- have categorized it into: 1.Self-oriented perfectionism 2.Other oriented perfectionism 3.Socially prescribed perfectionism Causes of Perfectionism The exact cause is not always clear in the case, and it is often an acquired trait; although recently, psychologists have started linking perfectionism with childhood trauma (actual or perceived) and its emotional consequences: For example: If in a family with 2 children, the older sibling is smart, good-looking, good at academics and is always appreciated by everybody; the younger sibling learns that he/she needs to work extremely hard to get noticed and gain some affection. They believe that they don’t deserve it as they feel they are not good enough. They constantly feel the need to prove themselves.

3. Symptoms of Perfectionism Some common traits noticed in perfectionists are: 1.Procrastination 2.Fear of failure 3.Pushed by fear 4.Unrealistic expectations 5.Craving approval 6.Judgmental of others 7.Obsessed with rules 8.Disliking feedbacks 9.Excessively controlling Physical and Psychological Effects of Perfectionism Perfectionism can affect our mental and physical health in drastic ways. According to the study published by Thomas Curran and Andrew P Hill, some of the common effects of perfectionism include: 1.Society prescribed perfectionism often leads to perfectionism anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies. 2.Clinical depression, eating disorders (anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa) and premature death have been linked with self-oriented perfectionism. 3.Self-oriented perfectionism also raises the risk of possible bipolar disorder in the future. 4.Studies have reported cases of early death in perfectionists suffering from any chronic physical illness because it is difficult for them to accept it. 5.Perfectionist behaviour invites enormous stress, and hence it paves the way for various lifestyle disorders like diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks, etc.

4. Cure of Perfectionism As a part of perfectionism, people tend to hide their personal problems or believe they do not have any. This makes it rather difficult to overcome perfectionism. Various therapy options are available to treat perfectionism. These include: 1. Cognitive behavioral therapy 2. Family system therapy 3. Hypnotherapy Read More: https://www.thementalhappiness.com/mental-health-issues-a- perfectionist-face/