Depression is a very common mental health disorder, and this is, among other things, because this emotional state is not reached in one way, but in several ways.
Depression is sometimes talked about with the assumption that it is simply an illness and, as such, is caused solely by biological complications in the person’s body; But the truth is that personality traits and lifestyle habits can explain a good part of our propensity to develop this disorder.
In this article we will focus on the relationship between depression and perfectionism, two psychological phenomena that have been widely studied and in which points of interconnection have been seen. And we often tend to associate perfectionism with a positive and useful aspect of personality (and to a certain extent it is), too much can compromise our mental health in different ways.
First of all, let’s clarify the concepts we are going to talk about. depression is a mood disorder characterized by lack of energy and motivation, low expectations, and a state of sadness or distress which makes it very difficult to enjoy life’s pleasurable experiences (a vacation, a dinner at a good restaurant, etc.). As a psychological disorder that it is, its presence does not only imply discomfort: it also very negatively affects the quality of life of those who suffer from it, and increases the risk of suicide.
On the other hand, Perfectionism is conscientiousness when valuing the product of our own actions, having as a reference very high demanding standards (which can cause psychological exhaustion, as we will see). This means that we pay attention to the need to do things well, and that the idea of creating something with one or more imperfections makes us uncomfortable.
The relationship between depression and the degree of perfectionism
There are different ways in which tending to a high degree of perfectionism is associated with the probability of having depression. Here we will see several of them, although we must keep one thing in mind: being a perfectionist does not have to mean that this trait is going to generate a depressive disorder. Sometimes what happens is that what leads us to develop perfectionism also leads us to develop depression.
The differences between types of perfectionism
First of all, we must distinguish between two types of perfectionism: perfectionist aspirations and perfectionist concerns The second of these forms of perfectionism consists of the propensity to worry about the possibility of doing things wrong, the anticipation of failure if we do not pay close attention to what we do, and the obsession with avoiding a bad result. The first, however, has to do with wanting to be the best version of ourselves and giving importance to doing things in the best possible way.
In this way, perfectionist aspirations are linked to a greater risk of manifesting stress and anxiety problems, while perfectionist concerns are associated with the risk of suffering from depression, since those who adopt this type of perfectionism focus their attention on the negative aspect of their lives. own skills and abilities, and spend a lot of time anticipating and imagining bad results in what they do. The latter fosters emotional fatigue and the inability to enjoy.
Of course, we must not forget that those who follow the path of perfectionist aspirations are also not free from presenting a greater risk of having depression, because Anxiety overlaps a lot with mood disorders And in practice, a large number of people who believe that they simply have depression actually suffer from an anxious-depressive condition. Although anxiety puts us in a “state of alert” and seems to be based on processes opposite to what we understand as being depressed, the wear and tear caused by this constant anguish or stress makes it easier for the symptoms associated with depression to fluctuate.
Eating disorders
It has been seen that the risk of developing eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, is associated with the tendency towards high or very high perfectionism, which makes sense considering that the discomfort comes from thinking in imperfections in behavior and physical condition.
This is relevant, because As often happens with psychological disorders that can be treated in therapy, the fact of having developed one makes it more likely that we will develop another, and depression is at the top of the list of possible risks. And of course, eating disorders also lead to self-esteem problems, which in turn helps trigger depression and cause it to persist.
work addiction
The tendency to work too much, closely linked to perfectionism, is clearly related to the risk of developing depression in the medium and long term.
There are different explanations about why this happens. One of them is that, since “workaholics” transform their work environment into the main focus of interest in their lives, little by little they are cutting their ties with other sources of satisfaction and social life ; When they realize that they cannot continue with that pace of concentration and effort, they find themselves alone and socially isolated, without stimulating hobbies and, in general, no reason to stop directing 100% of their attention to their work performance.
This is the point at which depression lands, because the daily life of these people hardly offers significant incentives beyond that spiral of self-demand, nor does it provide exciting situations or perspectives that things will improve in some way. qualitative.
On the other hand, the extreme concern about producing and doing everything well that causes work addiction is also linked to lack of sleep, another of the phenomena most closely linked to depression. If the nervous system does not have time to recover while we sleep. The chances of developing mood disorders skyrocket.
