Perfectionism as a transdiagnostic process: A clinical review

Perfectionism is a risk and maintaining factor for eating disorders, anxiety disorders and depression. The objective of this paper is to review the four bodies of evidence supporting the notion that perfectionism is a transdiagnostic process. First, a review of the literature was conducted that demo...

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Main Authors: Egan, Sarah, Wade, T., Shafran, R.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd 2011
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/12770
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author Egan, Sarah
Wade, T.
Shafran, R.
author_facet Egan, Sarah
Wade, T.
Shafran, R.
author_sort Egan, Sarah
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Perfectionism is a risk and maintaining factor for eating disorders, anxiety disorders and depression. The objective of this paper is to review the four bodies of evidence supporting the notion that perfectionism is a transdiagnostic process. First, a review of the literature was conducted that demonstrates the elevation of perfectionism across numerous anxiety disorders, depression, and eating disorders compared to healthy controls. Data is presented that shows perfectionism increases vulnerability for eating disorders, and that it maintains obsessive–compulsive disorder, social anxiety and depression as it predicts treatment outcome in these disorders. Second, evidence is examined showing that elevated perfectionism is associated with co-occurrence of psychopathology. Third, the different conceptualisations of perfectionism are reviewed, including a cognitive-behavioural conceptualisation of clinical perfectionism that can be utilised to understand this transdiagnostic process. Fourth, evidence that treatment of perfectionism results in reductions in anxiety, depression and eating pathology is reviewed. Finally, the importance of clinicians considering the routine assessment and treatment of perfectionism is outlined.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-127702017-09-13T15:01:41Z Perfectionism as a transdiagnostic process: A clinical review Egan, Sarah Wade, T. Shafran, R. Perfectionism is a risk and maintaining factor for eating disorders, anxiety disorders and depression. The objective of this paper is to review the four bodies of evidence supporting the notion that perfectionism is a transdiagnostic process. First, a review of the literature was conducted that demonstrates the elevation of perfectionism across numerous anxiety disorders, depression, and eating disorders compared to healthy controls. Data is presented that shows perfectionism increases vulnerability for eating disorders, and that it maintains obsessive–compulsive disorder, social anxiety and depression as it predicts treatment outcome in these disorders. Second, evidence is examined showing that elevated perfectionism is associated with co-occurrence of psychopathology. Third, the different conceptualisations of perfectionism are reviewed, including a cognitive-behavioural conceptualisation of clinical perfectionism that can be utilised to understand this transdiagnostic process. Fourth, evidence that treatment of perfectionism results in reductions in anxiety, depression and eating pathology is reviewed. Finally, the importance of clinicians considering the routine assessment and treatment of perfectionism is outlined. 2011 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/12770 10.1016/j.cpr.2010.04.009 Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd restricted
spellingShingle Egan, Sarah
Wade, T.
Shafran, R.
Perfectionism as a transdiagnostic process: A clinical review
title Perfectionism as a transdiagnostic process: A clinical review
title_full Perfectionism as a transdiagnostic process: A clinical review
title_fullStr Perfectionism as a transdiagnostic process: A clinical review
title_full_unstemmed Perfectionism as a transdiagnostic process: A clinical review
title_short Perfectionism as a transdiagnostic process: A clinical review
title_sort perfectionism as a transdiagnostic process: a clinical review
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/12770