Howie Mandel has spoken candidly about his life with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but he wasn’t always so open. Although he dealt with OCD symptoms for most of his life, the “America’s Got Talent” judge was first officially diagnosed in his 40s. While he sought treatment, including medication and therapy, he initially didn’t want anyone to know.
“I was embarrassed that I had this problem, and when you have a mental health problem, there is a stigma,” he admitted to Today in 2023. As he told the outlet, he realized that sharing his experience can have a big impact on others. “The more people that talk about it, the wider that safety net gets thrown for all of us,” he mused.
While he has found ways of coping with his OCD, it’s something he’ll have to deal with for the rest of his life, as there is no cure. “The word ‘suffer’ is not even strong enough,” he told USA Today, explaining how OCD makes you focus on fears, triggering repetitive behaviors. In his case, Mandel is afraid of germs, and something as simple as shaking hands can trigger a compulsion. “If I think I got a germ on my hand, I can’t think or hear anything else,” he explained. Instead, he’ll head to the sink and repeatedly wash his hands at length. “It’s just this vicious, dark circle, and it makes you […] unproductive, unhappy, depressed,” he said. As he relayed to Today, “Inside my head, it is a war zone.”
