Howie Mandel And Other Celebs With Serious OCD
Posted by: Kate Torgovnick
Filed in:
celebs
12:40PM, Monday July 27th 2009
Ever since I found out that Howie Mandel has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, I’ve semi-obsessively watched “Deal Or No Deal” waiting to see how Howie reacts during those awkward moments when a contestant tries to hug him. Howie’s OCD is no joke—it’s seriously limited his life, and he’s writing a memoir about it called “Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me.” In the book, he’ll reveal much more about his battle with the disease than the nuggets he’s given us so far: that he hasn’t shaken anyone’s hand since 2001, that he walks around his house with a face mask and gloves on, that he is so afraid of public restrooms that he can only use the bathroom at home, and that he shaves his head because it makes him feel cleaner. [Wikipedia]
I am completely and thoroughly fascinated with OCD, so you better believe that I will be picking up Howie’s memoir the day it comes out in November. And I’m also counting the minutes until VH1’s “OCD Project,” which will be like a “Real World” for OCD sufferers undergoing treatment. But since it’ll be a while until either of these comes out, here are some details about other famous OCD suffers to tide you over.
- Hot hot hottie David Beckham did a television interview about having OCD in 2006. He spends hours straightening furniture in his house, and constantly needs everything to be in straight lines or pairs. “If you open our fridge, it’s all co-ordinated down either side,” added Victoria Beckham. “We’ve got three fridges—food in one, salad in another and drinks in the third. In the drinks one, everything is symmetrical. If there’s three cans of Diet Coke, he’d throw one away rather than having three, because it has to be an even number.” [Daily Mail]
- Marc Summers may have been the host of “Double Dare,” which sent kids rooting through oversized noses filled with goop while looking for flags. But at home, his OCD had the best of him. In 1997, he appeared on “Dateline” to talk about it, and revealed that he would spend hours on his knees in his house straightening the fringe on a rug. Oh, and then there was the time he dust-busted a kid in his house who was making cookies and had flour in his lap, lest he track it around the house. [YouTube]
- Billy Bob Thornton thinks his OCD rituals contributed to his marriage with Angelina Jolie falling apart. In 2004, he told “Dateline” that he’s constantly doing math in his head and counting, thanks to the disease. [MSNBC]
- Cameron Diaz has never used the word OCD to describe herself, but she certainly fits the bill. She keeps her house immaculate, and says she’s constantly washing her hands. She also refuses to touch doorknobs or handles. “I’m not scared of germs. I’m just aware of them,” Diaz says. “I’m not into other people’s fluids unless I know them really well.” [Time]
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skywalk
wrote on July 27 2009 @ 12:06 pm: [report]
My husband is very similar to this he seems to be getting better not worse but some examples are:
He wears gloves work/rubber for many tasks that most people would not.
He will rewash floors & surfaces I have already washed (before they are even dry)
He does shake hands if he has gloves on or can wash his hands immediately
He won’t give hugs - but is loosening up around some people.
He doesn’t touch door knobs with his bare hands – or if so immediately washes his hands.He showers 2-3 times a day or more if needed.
I am thankful that I don’t seem to have any of these “Germs” that everyone else has even though I shake hands and give hugs??
silvergurl
wrote on July 27 2009 @ 01:41 pm: [report]
i always find it comforting to learn about public figures with OCD. i have it too—although my compulsions are usually rooted in my head. an obsessive thought comes to mind and then the compulsion is repeating it kind of on a loop. so, really. no one can tell i have it. because i don’t vocalize or make visual the compulsions. but i *do* adjust and re-adjust my rearview mirror. or sometimes i’ll stare at a lightbulb knowing full well i shouldn’t. little things like that. checking locks and ovens too. argh! it can get become so debilitating. but there are days where i feel so free too. anyone else have stories to share?
silvergurl
wrote on July 27 2009 @ 01:43 pm: [report]
ps. on an interesting side note, i’m totally fine about germs. i’m a very huggy person, i use public restrooms all the time, and my room is, um, “lived in.” some folks who are really “anal” about cleaning actually have obsessive compulsive personality disorder as opposed to OCD in its traditional form.
*sam*
wrote on July 27 2009 @ 02:00 pm: [report]
I’m not OCD a/b germs, so much, as organization… my bookshelf is strictly organized based on genre, and then by size (with the tallest ones starting from the left and working their way down) and if I have 2 ‘genres’ on 1 shelf (like, for instance, the middle shelf has all of my psych textbooks on the left, and my philosophy ones on the right—my major and minor, respectively, in undergrad), then the tallest ones for the second (i.e., my philosophy books) will have the tallest starting at the right—this way it forms a nice “V” shape, and is more symmetrical. And my cds in my cd case are organized by which are my favorites and **have** to face straight up (like, if the words are slanted or something, it drives me NUTS)... and my movies, categorized by genre, and then alphabetized within that category… and, my pantry and fridge, everything has to be faced with the labels out and in neat rows. and the clothes in my closet all have to have the same colored hanger and spaced evenly (1 finger width)... oh, and I can’t write on crinkled paper, and I’ll throw away even a whole pack of paper if it’s bent, creased, or not 100% flat in any way, even though I loathe being wasteful… and I can’t staple papers together without constantly checking to see if their completely even—knocking them on the table vertically, then horizontally, at least 3 times each, and then when I finally do go to staple it, it has to be perfectly caddy-corner with the corner of the paper, not vertical, and not horizontal, b/c it makes it easier to read the next page—and it has to be a/b a 1/2 inch from the corner.. and if it’s not perfect, I’ll take it out (using my nails to pry the back of the staple open, and then carefully removing it) and do it again…
I could go on… geez, I think I might need therapy!!! :/
oh, and if any of these (and the myriad of other things that I didn’t mention) get messed up, even in the slightest little bit, I will literally start to panic and won’t be able to calm down until it’s fixed… :/
I Go To 11
wrote on July 27 2009 @ 02:41 pm: [report]
My boyfriend in high school had OCD, along with a few other mental illnesses. He had a collection of stuffed animals, most of which were from his childhood (that’s another issue), and he had to have them all organized in a certain way. All of his CDs were alphabetized, there wasn’t a speck of dust to be found in his room or car, and he had this weird ritual with his locker; he’d have to run his hands along the inside (sometimes doing it more than once), then he’d have to set the lock to a certain number. Sometimes he’d go back to his locker and do it again until he felt it was “just right”. He also mentioned the OCD manifested itself when he used the bathroom (I didn’t really want to find out how). I never understood why he felt the need to do these things back then, but now that I know more about OCD, I understand that there’s no way I *could know, since I don’t have the disorder.
TotallyRidiculous
wrote on July 27 2009 @ 10:05 pm: [report]
Howie will shave his head to feel cleaner but he won’t get rid of that awful THING on his chin? Now THAT looks dirty.
On the OCD side, I get kind of annoyed when people say they are OCD about things when they clearly aren’t. They just kind of throw it around because they thinks it’s like a cool quirk, when it is something that seriously disables a lot of people (I’m definitely not implying that anyone who posted previously is doing this).