But new research is revealing the disorder can bring both profits and perils.
Though perfection is an impossible goal, striving for it can be a boon for one’s health, causing one to stick to exercise programs to a tee, say, or follow a strict regimen for treating chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes. But the same lofty goals can mean added mental pressure when mistakes are made and the resistance to asking for help from others in fear of revealing one’s true, imperfect self.
In fact studies show the personality trait of perfectionism is linked to poor physical health and an increased risk of death.
Researchers are just beginning to tease apart this complex trait and its relation to health.
“Perfectionism is a virtue to be extolled definitely,” said Prem Fry, a psychology professor at Trinity Western University in Canada. “But beyond a certain threshold, it backfires and becomes an impediment,” she said.
Fry and several of her colleagues recently spoke at a symposium on perfectionism and health at the Association for Psychological Science convention in Boston.
What is perfectionism?
While some might aim to be perfect in certain areas of their life — such as an athlete who must stick to a grueling workout schedule — true perfectionism comes in a generalized form.
“You should want to be perfect across a variety of aspects of your life,” said Gordon Flett, a psychology professor at York University in Canada.
“It’s natural to be perfectionistic in the thing that matters the most, like your job — if you’re a surgeon, there’s no room for error,” Flett said. “[But] you don’t want that same person to be going home and using those same standards to evaluate family members, which causes stress,” he said. “It has to generalize.”
Perfectionism tends to have two components: a positive side, including things like setting high standards for themselves; and a negative side, which involves more deleterious factors, such as having doubts and concerns over mistakes and feeling pressure from others to be perfect.
(Health Day News) New research provides more evidence of a link between depression and extra pounds around the waist, although it’s not exactly clear how they’re connected.
The study raises the possibility that depression causes people to put on extra pounds around the belly. The opposite doesn’t appear to be the case: researchers found that overweight people aren’t more likely to become depressed than their normal-weight peers.
These findings come from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who examined data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study (CARDIA), a 20-year longitudinal study of more than 5,100 men and women aged 18-30. (Longitudinal studies look for a link between cause and effect by observing a group of individuals at regular intervals over a long period of time).
Among other things, the researchers wanted to figure out if depressed people were more likely to have larger waist circumferences and a higher BMI, and how that changed over time.
They found that over a 15-year period, all the subjects put on some pounds, but those who were depressed gained weight faster.
“Those who started out reporting high levels of depression gained weight at a faster rate than others in the study, but starting out overweight did not lead to changes in depression,” said study co-author Belinda Needham, an assistant professor of sociology, in a university press release.
Since the stress hormone cortisol is related to depression and abdominal obesity, Needham speculated that elevated levels might explain why depressed people tend to gain more belly fat.
“Our study is important because if you are interested in controlling obesity, and ultimately eliminating the risk of obesity-related diseases, then it makes sense to treat people’s depression,” Needham said. “It’s another reason to take depression seriously and not to think about it just in terms of mental health, but to also think about the physical consequences of mental health problems.“
The study appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
More information
To learn more about depression, head to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.
Dr. Michelle joined Women’s Health Editor-in-Chief Michele Promaulayko on LX New York to discuss women’s body image. Click here to learn more about her new book “Look Better Naked” or click here to learn more about my new book “Ms. Typed.”
Can Tiger Still be a Tiger?
Dr. Michelle Callahan and golfer Rocco Mediate discuss Tiger Woods’ return to professional golf.
Answer: I hope you feel better soon. In the short term there are simple things you can do like play some of your favorite upbeat music, call a good friend, take a walk to clear your mind, watch your favorite comedy or read an inspirational book. In the long term, one thing that often helps people is making a plan for the future and mapping out how you are going to change your situation for the better. Setting goals and finding things you can do on a daily basis to start you moving on the right track can help. Also, if you look around you, you can probably see people doing much worse than you and realize that as bummed out as you feel, you should be thankful that things aren’t even worse. Pray and stay close to what you think is your purpose here. Look for the lesson in what you’re going through and recognize that you are probably being prepared for greater things and realize that this funk is keeping you from achieving those things. Good luck!
Copyright 2010 Dr. Michelle Callahan. All rights reserved. This article on moods was originally published in Dr. Michelle’s online advice column at www.drmichelle.com/ask-dr-michelle
