Jose Perez/INFphoto.comMy friends and I think we're obsessed with the Jonas Brothers. We're not sure just how obsessed we are, but it feels like we're bordering on obsession. So can you tell us how to determine if we're obsessed?
—Gina, Las Vegas
Put it this way: Do you lie to friends and family about how many hours you spend thinking about the sparkle on Kevin's promise ring? How it must glisten in the moonlight while the four winds caress his cheeks and blow innocent, playful kisses through his hair?
Do you think of nothing but their upcoming 3-D movie or their Grammy performance, not caring if you bankrupt yourself trying to get tickets?
That's obsession, clear and simple. And I get that from someone who would know...
...in this case, Pat Pearson, clinical psychotherapist and author of the new book Stop Self-Sabotage. Per Pearson, there are three indicators that you might be teetering over into obsession, or, in other words, addiction.
1. Would you prefer Jonas Brothers-related activity—listening to their music, going to their concerts, greeting news of their Valentine's Day show—above all else?
2. Does Jonas Brothers-related activity preclude daily necessities such as homework, chores or hygiene? What about other pleasures, such as reading?
3. Do you feel compelled to lie about the level of your Jonas Brothers-related activity?
Obsession, of course, can also lead to disturbing or even violent behavior—a woman reportedly obsessed with Paula Abdul eventually overdosed on drugs outside of the star's home in November. But obsession can also be much less obvious than that.
"It's just like any other addiction," Pearson tells me. "Whatever it is you're doing, alcohol, drugs or the Jonas Brothers."
Figuratively, of course. Promise rings and all that.
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