If you have OCD, you know how hard it can be to have a relationship. OCD and relationships are tough and the person you are with needs to understand what your disease is all about. If they don’t, it will never work. Even if they do understand it, they need to be patient and allow you some space and forgiveness if things don’t go smoothly.
Sometimes people are diagnosed with OCD after they get into a relationship with someone. This can be good or bad. Sometimes it explains why someone is the way they are, other times it just makes things more confusing.
Other times people get into relationships after they are diagnosed. This is something they need to tell their new partner right at the start of the relationship. OCD and relationships requires honesty which can be difficult sometimes, especially if the person with the OCD has been hurt before.
The best thing to do is take things slow and let your partner know what is going on. If they can’t take that then they are not the right person for you. If they start asking a lot of questions when you tell them, that can be a good thing. It means that they want to learn more about what is going on with you.
If you have just started dating someone with OCD it is important to you to learn about it as much as you can. Because really, if this is the person for you, then this is something that will be with you both for a long time. You need to know how to live together and thrive together. You want to find out what it is about and how it will show itself in your partner. Different people might act in different ways so it is best to not assume. Talk to your partner about how they act and what you can do for them to help.
Some people with OCD will want help and others won’t. That is why it is important to find out what your partner wants from you and then respect it. You don’t want to push them away or cause trouble by doing too much.
Know that all relationships can be hard and take a lot of work, not just those where one of the members has OCD. Know that sometimes you will get frustrated and sometimes that will be because of the disease and other times it won’t be.
Keep the lines of communication open and check in with each other often. If someone’s feelings get hurt they should let the other one know because they might not be doing anything on purpose. If you have OCD and are dating someone and they can’t respect the fact that you have it, break things off with them. They are not worth your time.
There are some books out there you can read on the subject. These can be very helpful and will allow both of you to understand each other a bit more. It might be a good idea to read a book together and then discuss it. Working through everything will be the best thing to do and will help your relationship along even if things get hard between the two of you.
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