Abstract

Obsessive love is a condition in which one person feels an overwhelming obsessive desire to possess and protect another person toward whom one feels a strong attraction, with an inability to accept failure or rejection. Although not categorized specifically under any specific mental diagnosis by the DSM-5, some people argue that obsessive love is considered to be a mental illness similar to attachment disorder, borderline personality disorder, and erotomania. Depending on the intensity of their attraction, obsessive lovers may feel entirely unable to restrain themselves from extreme behaviors such as acts of violence toward themselves or others. Obsessive love can have its roots in childhood trauma, and may begin at first sight; it may persist indefinitely, sometimes requiring psychotherapy.

Obsessive love occurs in both women and men, making it a gender neutral phenomenon.