The relationship between perfectionism and mental illness stigma

Despite experiencing higher levels of psychological distress, individuals with high levels of perfectionism are more reluctant to seek treatment for psychological issues and they are often treatment resistant when in treatment. Mental illness stigma has been shown to be a significant barrier to treatment seeking in other populations and it stands to reason that it may play a key role for individuals with high levels of perfectionism as well. As such, the primary goal of this study was to discern whether individuals who differ along the continuum of various types of perfectionism also differ in terms of mental illness beliefs in ways that suggest awareness of and concern about being stigmatized. In addition, we examined links between perfectionism and attitudes towards seeking help and self-stigma for seeking help. A sample of 140 university students completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale and the Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale and separate measures of mental illness beliefs, help-seeking attitudes, and self-stigma for seeking help. Analyses found that perfectionistic self-presentation was associated with unfavorable mental illness attitudes overall. Our results suggest that targeted interventions to reduce mental illness stigma should be tailored to address the beliefs and concerns of perfectionistic people who are vulnerable to distress.