OCD of infatuation: symptoms and effects on the love relationship

Some people suffer from repetitive and obsessive thoughts; This is normal to a certain extent, and it happens a lot, especially at times when we suffer from stress or anxiety.

However, when these obsessive-type thoughts are repeated very frequently over a long period and are accompanied by similar behaviors recurrent and uncontrollable that we perform to try to alleviate this discomfort, we could be facing a psychopathology: OCD, or Disorder Obsessive compulsive.

In this article we will talk about one of the forms that OCD can take: Obsessive-Compulsive Infatuation Disorder.

• Related article: "The 4 types of love: what different kinds of love are there?"

What is OCD?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD is a psychological disorder in which the person presents a series of Unwanted and recurring thoughts (obsessions) that cause you a lot of discomfort from the first moment, and for which you are forced to respond in a stereotyped and repetitive way (compulsions) to nullify the power of those disturbing mental contents.

Thus, a vicious cycle of obsessions and compulsions occurs, since both elements reinforce each other. Although compulsions alleviate the discomfort generated by obsessions in a matter of seconds, in the long run they make those obsessions win influence on the life of the person, who will be more predisposed to attract these types of thoughts or mental images to their consciousness.

This disorder is characterized, among other things, by the apparent inability to avoid or prevent the onset of these obsessions or compulsions, and all of them seriously hinder the normal functioning of the person in their day-to-day life and negatively influence both on a personal and social level.

On the other hand, some of the risk factors that lead to the appearance of the Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive in a person can be: a family history of OCD, especially in relatives first degree; the presence of a childhood trauma in the person, especially cases of child abuse, and a certain brain structure that favors the appearance of the disorder, although there are no biological elements that are the sole cause of the appearance of this psychopathology.

As psychopathology that is, OCD can only be diagnosed by mental health professionals, and this is done through the exploration of signs and symptoms. However, these can take different forms, so there are several categories in which it is possible to classify the types of OCD.

In the field of love relationships there is also a variant that can be a real hell For the person who suffers from it, called “OCD of infatuation”, the following summarizes their features.

What is crush OCD?

As its name indicates, infatuation OCD is a type of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder that occurs in the setting of a love relationship, and is characterized by the occurrence of obsessive thoughts related to the possible defects of the couple's relationship in which one is, or with the person with whom it is in that relationship. Unlike the usual doubts that appear in any relationship, people who suffer from this OCD of falling in love are impervious to any thought or rational evidence about the reality of the relationship and fail to overcome or eliminate their negative and fatalistic thoughts about the course they believe the relationship is taking herself.

That is why the OCD of infatuation prevents the person from evaluating the love relationship based on evidence, real events and even positive aspects of the relationship itself, and all his judgments and analyzes are subject to his obsessions, doubts, ideas and pessimistic thoughts.

Some of the most common characteristics that manifest in a person with OCD from falling in love It can be the permanent questioning and negative ideas about whether the relationship is going well or not; if the couple is the one; If you are a good enough person for that boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife, or if the intensity of the relationship is ideal at all times, also comparing it with other couples around you.

Usually, infatuation OCD that is not treated in therapy tends to lead to the breakdown of the relationship due to the impossibility of the person suffering from it to commit to their partner of a honest and open way, and also to the states of anxiety, frustration and anguish that is experiment.

• You may be interested in: "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): what is it and how does it manifest itself?"

Are you looking for professional psychological assistance services?

If you are interested in having psychotherapeutic support to face forms of discomfort such as problems with partner or mismanagement of impulses or emotions, get in touch with our team of professionals. On Cribecca Psychology We have been working with patients of all ages for years; You can count on us in our center located in Seville, or through our online therapy modality.

Bibliographic references:

• Doron, G.; Derby, D.; Szepsenwol, O. (2014). Relationship obsessive compulsive disorder (ROCD): A conceptual framework. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 3 (2): pp. 169 - 180.
• Doron, G.; Szepsenwol, O.; Karp, E.; Gal, N. (2013). Obsessing about intimate-relationships: Testing the double relationship-vulnerability hypothesis. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 44 (4): pp. 433 - 440.
• Doron, Guy; Derby, D., Szepsenwol. O., & Talmor. D. (2012). Tainted Love: exploring relationship-centered obsessive compulsive symptoms in two non-clinical cohorts. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders 1 (1): pp. 16 - 24.