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Treatment of Perfectionism in Childhood Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

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Clinical Handbook of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders

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Abstract

Perfectionism is a cognitive appraisal that can negatively impact mood and anxiety states and has been implicated in obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD). While there has been considerable research on perfectionism in adults, far fewer investigations have examined the role of perfectionism in children and adolescents with OCD. In this chapter, a case of perfectionism in a 12-year-old female is presented, including specific barriers to the treatment. Successful treatment was made possible by both engagement with the child as well as through separate intervention sessions with the parents aimed at reducing accommodation and attention to parental maladaptive beliefs that interfered with treatment engagement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Fordham University, 441 East Fordham Road, 10458, Bronx, NY, USA

    Dean McKay PhD & Lauren Mancusi MA

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  1. Dean McKay PhD
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  2. Lauren Mancusi MA
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Correspondence to Dean McKay PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Health Policy & Management, Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, and Psychology, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

    Eric A. Storch

  2. Departments of Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Adam B. Lewin

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McKay, D., Mancusi, L. (2016). Treatment of Perfectionism in Childhood Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. In: Storch, E., Lewin, A. (eds) Clinical Handbook of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17139-5_13

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