15th February 2025

A 28-year-old woman comes to see you in clinic.

A 28-year-old woman comes to see you in clinic. She explains that she has recently been diagnosed with a personality disorder and would like to talk it through with you further. Her condition manifests as a rigid standard of perfection and of right and wrong, leading her to seek to control both her own and others’ behaviour in order to ensure conformity to what can be idiosyncratic standards. She is risk averse, preoccupied with social rules and obligations, and finds it hard to make decisions. She feels that she has to keep rigid control over her emotions, actions and thoughts, which negatively affects many of her romantic relationships and her friendships. Her perfectionism can sometimes help in her career as an architect, but has often found it difficult to function well at work due to her perseveration and difficulty disengaging from tasks. She has never self-harmed. What is the most likely diagnosis?

Although you would want to do a more in-depth consultation, which diagnosis of personality disorder might you consider in her case?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.