A longitudinal study of perfectionism in adolescent onset anorexia nervosa-restricting type.

This longitudinal study analyses self-reported perfectionism, eating disorders and psychiatric symptoms during recovery from anorexia nervosa (AN). With a recovered design, a group of 68 previous patients with AN was studied in two follow-up studies, 8 and 16 years after 1st admission to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP). Levels of perfectionism stayed the same while eating disorder symptoms and psychiatric symptoms decreased during recovery. Levels of perfectionism were inversely related to duration of remission so that individuals that had short illness duration had lower levels of perfectionism at both follow-ups. Patients with initial high levels of perfectionism may be at risk for a long illness duration which we recommend clinicians to acknowledge. (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.