Sichuan, April 24: An 18-year-old girl in China, known as Xiaoyu, has been diagnosed with a condition colloquially referred to as “love brain” after displaying obsessive behaviour towards her boyfriend, including calling him 100 times in a day. Hailing from Sichuan province in southwestern China, Xiaoyu’s obsession became so severe that it significantly affected her mental health and disrupted her boyfriend’s life.
Reports indicate that Xiaoyu would call her boyfriend over 100 times a day and constantly pester him about his whereabouts, expressing a need for his constant presence. Her obsession began during her first year at university, where a blossoming romance quickly turned into an unhealthy fixation. Women Suffering From Depression More Likely To Have Heart-Related Diseases Than Men, Finds Study.
What is Love Brain?
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Xiaoyu was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, commonly known as “love brain”. Dr Du Na, who treated Xiaoyu at The Fourth People’s Hospital of Chengdu, stated that this condition might coexist with other mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Eye-Bleeding Disease Kills Woman in Europe: Patient Dies After Contracting Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in North Macadonia, Tourists Warned Amidst Concerns of Spread.
Xiaoyu’s relationship with her boyfriend began at university and quickly became intimate. However, the dynamics changed when her boyfriend started feeling “uncomfortable and stifled” due to her obsessive behaviour. Xiaoyu’s fixation escalated to the point where she resorted to throwing household objects and threatening self-harm when she couldn’t reach her boyfriend, prompting him to contact the police.
Upon arrival, the officers found Xiaoyu threatening to jump from their balcony. She was immediately taken to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
While “love brain” is not a medical term, it is used to describe obsessive behaviour in romantic relationships. Dr Du explained that conditions like borderline personality disorder might be linked to unhealthy childhood attachments and can sometimes coexist with other mental illnesses. He did not disclose the cause of Xiaoyu’s illness but mentioned that it often occurs in people who had unhealthy relationships with their parents during childhood.
Dr Du emphasised that while mild cases may improve with emotional management techniques, severe cases like Xiaoyu’s require medical intervention.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2024 03:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).