DEAR ABBY: Because I'm unemployed, I am currently living with my parents. I am 40, but my mother treats me as if I am an 8-year-old boy. Among other things, she forbids me to leave the house without her permission and considers my room to be a mess she must clean if even a single book is out of place on my desk.
I believe my mother has obsessive-compulsive disorder. I have told her this and recommended she get herself evaluated. She refuses to listen, even after I gave her a month's worth of examples illustrating which of her actions meet the criteria.
I want to remain sane as I try to find employment and a way out of her house. Have you any suggestions? -- GOING MAD IN SOUTH DAKOTA
DEAR GOING MAD: As an adult, you should not have to ask anyone's permission to leave the house. It's time for a man-to-man talk with your father. What does he think of this? Has your mother always been this way? While you're talking with him, bring up the fact that she is showing signs of OCD and see if he can convince her to be evaluated. If she does have it, there are treatments for it and it might greatly benefit their marriage, as well as your relationship with your mother.