Bree is very much written as an exaggerated version of the characteristics often attributed to White Anglo-Saxon Protestant Americans; she has been called a "hyper-uptight WASP". Bree is recognized for her perfectionist attitude and work ethic, which at times border on neurosis and obsessive–compulsive disorder. While the writers have shied away from an official diagnosis, the character is recognized as suffering from obsessive–compulsive personality disorder. The character herself refers to her "quirks" in terms of anal retentiveness but Rex once mentioned it by the name. Bree's perfectionism may stem from when her mother was killed in a hit and run; a 10-year-old Bree cleaned her blood off the road outside the house. She said that once everything was spotless, she felt much better.