Re: I was just told that Adult ADHD didn't Exist….

[Wgreen]

In Babyanne’s first sentence, she said her doctor told her she had “perfectionism” (and anxiety). I had never heard “perfectionism” used to denote a personality disorder. I’ve heard people use it, somewhat disparagingly, to mean somebody spends too much time sweating unimportant details. But this remark made me curious. So… I looked it up. Turns out it’s considered an obsessive disorder—sometimes—with symptoms not dissimilar to some of those of ADD/ADHD. You guys should check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfectionism_(psychology)

I’m sure there are better sources of information online, but I was just looking for an overview.

Excerpt:

“In its pathological form, perfectionism can be very damaging. It can take the form of procrastination when it is used to postpone tasks (“I can’t start my project until I know the ‘right’ way to do it.”), and self-deprecation when it is used to excuse poor performance or to seek sympathy and affirmation from other people (“I can’t believe I don’t know how to reach my own goals. I must be stupid; how else could I not be able to do this?”).[…]

In the workplace, perfectionism is often marked by low productivity as individuals lose time and energy on small irrelevant details of larger projects or mundane daily activities. This can lead to depression, alienated colleagues, and a greater risk of workplace “accidents.”

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