Perfectionists might be at a greater risk of comitting suicide

Are you a perfectionist? Then you have to be a little careful in your work, as according to a new study, looking for perfection in everything one does (and failing to achieve it) may increase the risk of suicide. The study also claims that people in occupations (mainly that emphasise on perfection) such as lawyers, architects and physicians, and also those in leadership roles, are at an increased risk of perfectionism-related suicide.

‘Perfectionism is a bigger risk factor in suicide than we may think,’ said psychology professor Gordon Flett from York University. In a research article, Flett and co-authors professor Paul Hewitt of University of British Columbia and professor Marnin Heisel of Western University cited the recent cases of prominent perfectionists who died by suicide. 

The authors document how being exposed to relentless demands to be perfect – a concept they refer to as socially prescribed perfectionism – is linked consistently with hopelessness and suicide.  They also listed how perfectionistic self-presentation and self-concealment can lead to suicides that occur without warning and how perfectionists often come up with thorough and precise suicide plans.

‘Clinical guidelines should include perfectionism as a separate factor for suicide risk assessment and intervention,’ Flett noted. ‘There is an urgent need for looking at perfectionism with a person-centred approach as an individual and societal risk factor, when formulating clinical guidelines for suicide risk assessment and intervention, as well as public health approaches to suicide prevention,’ he emphasised. More than one million people worldwide commit suicide on an annual basis, according to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. The article was published in the journal Review of General Psychology.

Source: IANS

Photo source: Getty images

You may also like to read:

• Mental health issues in college students – recognize and get treatment before it is too late


• Why have adolescent suicides gone up by four times in the last twenty years?


• Go out in the sun to keep suicidal thoughts away

For more articles on diseases & conditions , visit our diseases & conditions section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And for health-related queries, visit our Questions and Answers section.