They're high school sweethearts. Together for 8 years through thick and thin. She has obsessive-compulsive disorder, he doesn't. And that hasn't really been an issue... until now.
A woman has told how she recently ended her entire long-term relationship over a single one cent coin. While it may sound fickle, it's anything but. She says one of her OCD "quirks" is picking up pennies, which she keeps for good luck. She freaked out when her boyfriend grabbed a lucky penny she'd just found, and threw it into the river. For the first time, she realized that he actually doesn't know her at all.
She thought her BF of 8 years knew and understood her, OCD and all
Image credits: dimaberlin-1 (not the actual photo)
So when he tossed her "lucky penny" into a river, she tossed their entire relationship down the drain
Image credits: joaquincorbalan (not the actual photo)
Image credits: ereb78
Netizens, including those with OCD, came forward to share their views
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection (not the actual photo)
A few days later, she gave some more context for her OCD struggles and revealed where things stood with her relationship
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection (not the actual photo)
Image credits: ereb78
A penny for your thoughts... how OCD can wreak havoc on your romantic relationships
Dating nowadays is challenging enough. Add to it a mental health condition like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and you're dealing with a whole new set of unique issues.
The term OCD is only bandied about lightly, sometimes in a joking way. But to those truly suffering through it, it is no laughing matter. According to the Mayo Clinic, obsessive-compulsive disorder features a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears known as obsessions. "These obsessions lead you to do repetitive behaviors, also called compulsions," explains the site. "These obsessions and compulsions get in the way of daily activities and cause a lot of distress."
It's a vicious cycle, say the experts. Stress leads to compulsive actions. And even if you try to ignore the thoughts or urges, they keep coming back. This leads those with OCD to act based on ritual, and they end up in a continuous loop.
Like the woman explained, OCD often centers around certain themes. A common one is being paranoid about germs. "To ease contamination fears, you may wash your hands over and over again until they're sore and chapped," the Mayo Clinic notes.
As with many mental health conditions, there is no "cure," only the correct management or treatment. The disorder can cause havoc in your relationships and dating lives.
“Many people with OCD that I’ve treated have lived years believing the lie that no one is like them and no one would ever understand what they are going through,” says Stacey Quick, a therapist and OCD specialist who was diagnosed with the disorder as a teenager. “They think they’re damaged, or that they are fundamentally bad people. This couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Among the challenges facing those with OCD is the urge to isolate. Many feel embarrassed by their intrusive thoughts and compulsive behavior, so they try to hide their true selves. They may stay home and avoid meeting new people, put up walls on dates or in their personal relationships, or only meet people in very particular settings.
Dating or relationships can also trigger obsessions. "Imagine trying to let yourself be in the moment of a first kiss, only to have Contamination OCD trigger your fear of germs," explain the experts from NOCD, a Chicago-based OCD treatment provider.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, many of those with OCD don't want their compulsions on display.
"If an obsessive thought appears while on a date, you might not be able to resist performing a compulsion. For someone with Harm OCD, for instance, this might look like asking a waiter to remove the knives from the table because of a fear of being around sharp objects," the NOCD site notes.
Of course, there's also the anxiety issue. Dating can be nail-biting for even the calmest person. But for many with OCD, it's a harrowing and overwhelming experience.
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The woman had to respond to a few more mental health comments
Many people showed their support and felt that she made the right decision
