Getting to know someone you really like can be exhilarating but also a bit unsettling — even more so if you’re a teenager navigating love and dating for the first time. It can be hard to know what a romantic partner is thinking or feeling, and whether a relationship is right. Uncertainty is uncomfortable for everyone, but for people with something called “relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder,” or R-OCD, it can feel unbearable.

A person with R-OCD is plagued by an endless loop of negative thoughts about their romantic partner, or the relationship itself. They might repeatedly ask “Do you really love me?” and never be satisfied with the answer. This week at childmind.org, we offer a new article on R-OCD, and also round up resources on other forms of OCD that involve mental compulsions — including religious worries and unwanted sexual thoughts — rather than physical ones like washing hands or lining things up. Still, R-OCD, like any other type of OCD, is best treated through exposure and response prevention therapy.

— Molly Hagan, Staff Writer| ✉