Can emotional abuse cause obsessive compulsive disorder?

My dad is very controlling & I think emotionaly abusive.
For the past year/year and a half I've been obsessive about germs and washing my hands.
I've just recently told my doctor about it & my mom is supposed to call a therapist, which I'm afraid of doing.
I haven't been 100% diagnosed with OCD yet, but there's a possibility that I have it.
I just don't know why, or how these behaviors came about..

emotional problems do create mental disorders.

I would think that emotional problems could lead into other problems. Like coping with it, you find other ways to deal with it. In your case, obsessive about germs, ect. It might help to talk to someone. Maybe it will help......

It is possible, but there is help out there. Besides therapy there is a 12 step program Obsessive Compulsive Anonymous (OCA). If you're not sure if you have OCD, maybe check out a meeting and see if you feel at home.

yes, ocd can be triggered by trauma. in fact, ocd can seemingly come one with no apparent trigger at all !

i have ocd and my dad is a very controlling and angry person. it took me many years before i realised that he too has an anxiety disorder at the very least, and possibly even OCD. his way of dealing with his fear and anxiety is through trying to control everything. this extremely heavy weight of the need to take care of everything makes him very agitated, thus, a controling crabby man.

im happy that your anxiety is being investigated. there truly is help for you.
all the best

As a mental health professional with 20+ years experience, now retired, I want to tell you a few things.

First of all, don't get all paranoid about "OCD". It's just an acronym, or abbreviation, for the words Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, which I know you know, but, many times when people use such acronyms/abbreviations, they begin to give the problem a life of it's own, as if it were some monster or something. So, loosen up on the OCD thing. People also do that to ADD and ADHD, as though it's some monstrous diagnosis, and all it's been has been an excuse to drug our kids and not be better parents and better adults.

Secondly, although abusive behavior is known as a causative factor in obsessive-compulsive behavior, it's not the only factor, so, in your efforts to find a cause for what you believe might be obsessive-compulsive behavior, don't jump to conclusions. In all my years of working with individuals, many of which were abused, I have found only SOME of them to be compulsive. Others take on various other characteristics which are very obvious to the trained professional, so let me encourage you to let the therapist do the diagnosing, not you. I know you're eager to "put things together", but let me encourage you to let the professional do it for you.

Thirdly, don't worry about seeing a therapist. They're not weirdos (well, at least some of them aren't - LOL), and just because you see one does NOT mean you're crazy or afflicted with some mental illness. It just means you're working on your life, and the best of people do a lot of work on their lives from time to time, with or without a therapist. I do wish you the best, and pray God's Blessings for you.