Ep.72/ Difference Between Relationship Anxiety and Relationship OCD with Dr. Holly Batchelder
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Relationship anxiety and Relationship Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (ROCD) are separate experiences, however similar in the way they impact individuals in romantic relationships.
Relationship Anxiety:
-Not classified as a specific psychological disorder.
-Anxious feelings and fears related to romantic relationships, often triggered by events that occur.
-Many experience relationship anxiety at different points in their relationship or to different degrees, however, it doesn’t impair quality of life.
-Though it causes emotional distress and can impact relationships, one can still manage social, occupational, and daily functioning.
-Worries and fears are uncomfortable but not overly debilitating.
Relationship Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:
-A subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
-Experiences obsessive thoughts about perceived flaws or uncertainties in a relationship, however not connected to events in a realistic way.
-To alleviate anxiety, one will engage in repetitive behaviors or mental acts that last an hour or more.
-It significantly impacts social, occupational, and daily functioning.
In this week’s podcast episode, Dr. Holly Batchelder, a Seattle-based licensed clinical psychologist, shares her expertise on relationship anxiety and OCD, their major differences, their overlaps, how they manifest in our lives, and how to treat it to experience a fulfilling life.
