OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, may be quite debilitating. OCD is a mental health condition that manifests as a reoccurring pattern of obsessions or obsessive actions. According to the International OCD Foundation, there are presently two to three million individuals in the US who suffer from OCD, which can develop over everything from relationships to germ infection. The obsessive component of OCD is defined by the Diagnostic Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5) as "recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses or images that are... intrusive, unpleasant, and that in most persons generate considerable anxiety or discomfort" that the person tries to repress, dismiss, or neutralize. The term "repetitive behaviors" or "mental actions" (such as praying, counting, or repeating phrases aloud) that a person feels compelled to engage in as a result of an obsession or in accordance with rules that must be adhered to strictly are used to describe the compulsive component.
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Someone in your life may have OCD and you are completely unaware of it; in fact, comedian and TV celebrity Howie Mandel spent years searching for a label for his signs. America's Got Talent judge opened up to The Healthy @Reader's Digest about how OCD can manifest in a person's life, the methods he employs to manage his OCD, and why it's so important for us to pull back the curtain and talk about mental health as part of his work with NAMI and the mental healthcare platform NOCD. (According to NAMI estimates, one in 20 Americans aged 18 and older suffer from a severe mental illness each year.)
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Howie Mandel on being diagnosed with OCD
Reader's Digest for Health: Thank you for speaking with us, Howie. We appreciate you talking to us directly about your OCD because we've heard you mention it before. Many individuals may picture someone with OCD when they think of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory or Monk from the TV series: they could see someone who has repetitive patterns of behavior and constantly washes their hands. What instances of OCD in a person's life could surprise most people, in your opinion?
Howie Mandel: OCD may take many different forms and is frequently misdiagnosed. It's like living in a nightmare for me because I've had terrible anxiety and OCD my whole life, but there are methods to live with it.
Contamination and washing, doubt and checking, organizing and arranging, and inappropriate or taboo ideas are the four basic ways that OCD shows up. Obsession, compulsion, or both may be symptoms. For me, it was intrusive, recurrent thoughts and obsessions that were frequently triggered by my crippling fear of germs.
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The Healthy: What methods do you employ to control your OCD?
Howie Mandel: I always work to ground myself. Living well is a true gift. I always tell myself that I have to stand up for myself, carry on, and persevere. There isn't a week or even a day that goes by that I don't struggle a little bit, but I have learned how to deal with it and have supportive friends, family, and therapeutic tools like NOCD. I frequently utilize comedy to get through the most trying times. I do my hardest to pick the first option because if I'm not laughing, I'm sobbing.
the wholesome: You didn't receive an official OCD diagnosis until you were an adult. Could you elaborate on that experience? How long had you been aware of your symptoms, and what were they? What has giving these difficulties a name done for you?
Whoopi Mandel Yes, I didn't receive an official OCD diagnosis until I was an adult, but given what I know now, I've been dealing with it since I was a young child. It was a privilege to first recognize my problem as OCD after experiencing so much mental agony for most of my life. My path to becoming a highly functional, successful person may start after I was diagnosed. To salvage our marriage, my wife encouraged me to seek assistance. The stigma associated with OCD and the lack of access to high-quality treatment were and continue to be the two key obstacles. The majority of insurance companies now provide NOCD coverage.
It's for this reason that I am so committed to changing the way that mental health and OCD are discussed in America. If we could just talk to people, educate them, and equip them with the knowledge and coping mechanisms they need to manage their condition and persevere with the help of their peers and therapies like those provided by NOCD, no one would have to experience what I did and feel alone.
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Howie Mandel on mental health disclosure
the wholesome: What is the most crucial understanding you now have of OCD?
Howie Mandel: Life is valuable, therefore we must recognize that we have no influence over the world or what happens to us around us. Nevertheless, we must survive and persevere. People need to know they are not alone and that there are services available, like NOCD, so we must alter the discussion and de-stigmatize mental health.
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the wholesome: What advice would you give someone who suspects they may have OCD?
Whoopi Mandel, You are not alone yourself. Ask for assistance and support from experts. Take the necessary actions to obtain support, a community, and treatment in order to survive and live since there are so many individuals who are misdiagnosed.
the wholesome: What are your thoughts on the growing trend of males discussing their mental health?
Howie Mandel: I find it to be incredible! It's required, in my opinion, and I believe it to be significant. We must alter the dialogue and de-stigmatize mental illness and disorders like OCD if we are to give individuals the confidence to know they are not alone.
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People need to know they are not alone, says Howie Mandel as he discusses his obsessive-compulsive disorder, which first aired on The Healthy.
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