Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, is a disorder which gets triggered by people’s anxiety wherein people start having unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas or stimulations that make them do something or in other words compel them to do something.
Sounds strange right? Even when it gets highly challenging to the people who are suffering from this, it does not refer that an individual is incapable of functioning normally or go on with his everyday life.
Through this article, we had sought to see some celebrities who have OCD and how they dealt with it.
Donald Trump
The 45th President of United States and a former actor and host, says that he has ‘borderline’ OCD which scared him of even shaking hands with people back in the day. He especially feared the teachers for which he said that they have 17,000 germs per square inch on their desks. He furthermore washes his hand numerous times in a day and also needs straws to drink through because he wants to avoid contamination.
Although being a political leader and representing a giant in the world dynamics, he has to overcome his disorder and shake hands with people. There has been a viral video in which he is seen to be moving things around a desk like a maniac. He does proclaim that he has won over the disorder and can shake hands with people now, even though he has to wash his hands several times.
Howie Mandel
This Canadian comedian has been very open about his OCD. This 54-year-old host also opens up about his struggles with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in his Autobiography, Here’s the Deal: Don’t touch me. In the same book, he acknowledges his obsession with germs and cleaning. As a child, he did not use to tie his shoelaces just because he feared that he would touch the ground and that thought scared him to white.
He explains his mindset by saying that if he gets a specific thought in his mind, that thought gets stuck in his loop, and that eats his consciousness. For eg, if he gets a thought regarding if he has locked the door or not, he will go back around 30 times even though he has been there for 29 times and knows that the door is closed.
It is quite strange that he did not even know about his disorder until his therapist interpreted his thoughts. To which he suggests that a person facing for the same should try every probable solution that is out there. According to him, there is a veritable cornucopia of things that can be done; that is what people should know. Furthermore, he claims that he has tried many things to date and will continue to do many things.
Daniel Radcliffe
The actor who played the famous Harry Potter in the Harry Potter series, who is also a role model for many people, also suffers from OCD. He was just 11 years old when he gained the limelight. He seldom found the attention to be excruciating and challenging. Being an only child, he was very used to continuous attention. While his teacher told the 8-year-old Daniel, that he is stupid to which the immature mind believed and got it engraved in his consciousness.
His compulsion firstly started to show symptoms when he was just five years. The disorder grew to a point wherein he had to repeat his words to himself several times. He needed 5 minutes to turn off a light just because of his looping thoughts. He started attending therapy sessions and due to which he claims that his disorder is under control. Even though he does miss his sessions, but he encourages every OCD patient to undergo therapy and seek help.
Leonardo DiCaprio
The Oscar-winning actor is a real-life example of ‘Just because you have any mental illness, that does not mean that you cannot be successful and follow your dreams.’ The actor admitted during the shoot of ‘The Aviator’ that he gets the urge to walk through a doorway and step on any chewing gum stain that he could see. He has been having these urges since childhood when he used to walk down the same block just so that he could step on the same crack over and over again.
As soon as this disorder started affecting his professional life as well, he decided to take help and get treated for the same, and the rest is history.
We want you to know that if you do have similar thoughts, do NOT treat them casually or ignore them. Get professional help and remain faithful to it. You are not alone and will not be treated as such.
