Overachievers do not have the rigid belief that that everything must be perfect. Commonly overachieving is used to describe students that perform better academically than anyone else.  However, it can also be used to describe someone who achieves high grades and is active in numerous clubs and committees.



Usually being an overachiever is only a problem when it affects the person's socially, mentally, and physically. When this occurs, the person feels compelled to do as much as possible, even at risk to their health and relationships. More often overachieving behavior is seen as a symptom or sign within other disorders. For example, many eating disorders have overachieving behavior as a symptom.

 

 

 

The characteristics of overachieving include:

* Being able to excel higher than peers
* Joining numerous clubs and activities
* Feeling the need to do as much as possible

Treatment for overachieving behavior depends upon the context in which the behavior occurs. If it occurs positively and involves someone who is just extremely talented, then no further action should be taken. However, if the behavior occurs in a negative way, then treatment involves:

* Counseling or Behavioral therapy
* Enrollment in programs such as Anorexic or Bulimic Anonymous if an eating disorder coexists