'Relationship OCD'?

[Lost_in_a_Dark_Maze]

Can you have OCD about relationships other than romantic ones (e.g. worrying you don't love your parents)?

[taurean]

You can have OCD thoughts about literally anything, so yes. We don't have to try and match them with an especially-recognised theme. 

 

[Coffeecake]

If it's important to you, OCD may well choose it as a target. 

Good luck, you can beat it

[Lost_in_a_Dark_Maze]

Thank you Taurean and Coffeecake.

I'm very confused about what is OCD and what isn't. It is all very complicated.

When I was a teenager I used to worry that I didn't love my dad and that made me a bad person. For example, when he went to hospital once I was more panicking about the germs he'd bring back than upset about him being ill. (He had a major stroke when I was 2 and has epilepsy. He'd had an 'absence' type seizure and been taken to hospital as a precaution.) I would ruminate about it and try to work out why I didn't feel what I was supposed to, thinking of all the things from the past that might 'justify' my lack of feeling - such as the few times when I was little that he hit me. My dad has been a major trigger for my OCD contamination wise ever since he got a stomach bug.

I am housebound now and my dad lives in a nursing home, since my mum became too ill to care for him. I haven't seen him for years. I am worrying again that I don't feel for him what a daughter should. I'm also worrying that I don't love my mum like I should - especially since we have had arguments when I am accused of not loving my parents.

[Coffeecake]

Ocd will love this topic for you because there is a teeny tiny possibility that it may be true. When my ocd goes after my relationship with my husband it will eventually turn into "OK, so you love him, but do you love him *enough*?" It will do anything it can to keep the obsession going. Treat it as OCD. When I'm in doubt over whether something is OCD or not I think "OK, let's give this six months. I'll treat it as that for six months, and if no improvement then I'll look at what my other options may be." it takes the pressure off wondering if it is OCD or not and in that time I've dealt with it because hey ho, it was ocd! 

Edited March 3, 2019 by Coffeecake

[Lost_in_a_Dark_Maze]

Thanks, Coffeecake. That's a good approach. I will try to do the same.