A constant need for validation from the person you are in love with. Obsessively keeping in contact with the subject of your affection. Ignoring the personal boundaries of the subject of your affection. Behaving in a controlling manner with the person you love.
Trauma or experiences in childhood that lead to an insecure attachment style may lead to fear of abandonment. People with a fear of abandonment may develop obsessive tendencies. People may be fearful to be alone and they may make threats or take impulsive actions in order to prevent a partner from leaving.
Warning signs that someone is suffering from obsessive love may include the following: Low self-esteem/a tendency of needing excessive reassurance. Obsessively talking about their loved object. Making repeated calls, texts, and/or faxes to the love object.
Obsessive love is more about control and extreme thoughts and emotions. Health professionals don't widely diagnose obsessive love disorder, as it's not in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Even so, obsessive love disorder is real.
Sadly, an obsession can last for years without proper healing or distance. As previously explained, if the brain has a steady source of those love chemicals, it will keep coming back for more just like with any drug.
If you're falling in love, prepare for butterflies and excitement. However, if you're still distracted and completely wrapped up in someone after months have passed, it could be a sign of obsession. Obsessive passion isn't a healthy basis for a relationship.
Can This Disorder Be Treated? Obsessive love disorder can be treated. You can take anti-anxiety medications like Valium and Xanax, antidepressants like Prozac, Paxil, or Zoloft, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers.
In 1979, Dorothy Tennov coined the term “limerence” for the first stage of love, characterized by physical symptoms (flushing, trembling, palpitations), excitement, intrusive thinking, obsession, fantasy, sexual excitement, and the fear of rejection.
Obsessing over a crush floods our brains with feel-good hormones, so it can be “a little addictive,” she says, and a hard habit to break.
Being romantically rejected can be a familiar feeling that mirrors one's childhood, leading that person to seek out more of the same. People with a history of rejection may sometimes subconsciously seek out similar scenarios, hoping that the story will have a different ending.
Bipolar Obsession Is an Exhausting Mix of Mania and Anxiety
The feeling of bipolar disorder's obsessive thoughts is kind of like mania and anxiety put together. It's uncontrollable.
Women (and also at times men) can become overly dependent on romance as a way to escape difficult or painful feelings. They may begin to read romance novels for hours on end, becoming irritable when they can't get their “fix.” The addictive grip of romance can feel similar to love addiction, with one major difference.
Limerence is considered as a cognitive and emotional state of being emotionally attached to or even obsessed with another person, and is typically experienced involuntarily and characterized by a strong desire for reciprocation of one's feelings—a near-obsessive form of romantic love.
Unfortunately, the condition does not simply disappear after a few sessions of therapy or starting medication. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a cognitive disorder, not a physical ailment that can be cured through medical means.
Violating the Person's Privacy & Boundaries
This may include a perceived need to read the other person's texts, go through their things, or even stalk and harass them. Jealous delusions and obsessive love are especially dangerous when combined because they're closely linked with assault, abuse, and violent crime.
The feelings that you have when you spend time with your partner are the most crucial to understand the difference between love and habit. Does your partner's presence make you calmer/happier, or you can spend hours with them without even taking?
Infatuation is often a fantasy-based, passionate longing for someone else. It can prevent you from acknowledging their weaknesses, and may even land you in an unhealthy situation. Love is often based in reality and is fed on closeness and knowledge of the other person.
But is it actually possible for love to last forever? The definition and duration of love can be debatable, but research suggests that love is frequently resilient – and, in some cases, it can last longer than a lifetime.
Being obsessive is unhealthy if it causes you mental, emotional and physical problems, and if it also affects other people.
Overthinking, Rumination & Bipolar Disorder
Most people overthink decisions or second-guess choices they've made at one time or another but when you have bipolar disorder, it can feel like you're on a hamster wheel without any signs of a slow down or an end in sight.
What Is Hypersexuality? During manic episodes, people with bipolar disorder may experience a heightened sense of sexuality. It's only when this is paired with other symptoms of bipolar mania—including risk-taking, impulsivity, and poor judgment—that it can shift into problematic hypersexuality.
What to know about bipolar and OCD. Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that causes extreme mood swings and changes in a person's behavior. In contrast, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition that causes repetitive behaviors and intrusive thoughts. An individual may live with both conditions.