Clinical perfectionism is a diagnostic feature of Anorexia Nervosa. Perfectionism is a tendency to hold unrealistically high and inflexible standards and is, perhaps not unsurprisingly, a feature of individuals with eating disorders.

Perfectionism can play a part not only in the development of but also the maintenance and treatment of eating disorders and needs to be addressed throughout the management process. Treatment focuses on challenging perfectionist thoughts and carrying out and experiencing non-perfection-based behaviours, whilst learning to tolerate the discomfort this brings. 

Self-worth is significantly connected to perfectionism since people who are diagnosed with clinical perfectionism judge themselves according to their unrelenting high standards and will pursue perfectionist behaviours, even with detrimental outcomes.