Howie Mandel opened up about his "painful" struggles withOCD andanxiety in a new interview.- "I'm living in a nightmare," the "America's Got Talent" judge told People.
- Mandel said he tries to "anchor" himself with family, but still struggles with his
mental health .
Howie Mandel opened up about his struggles with OCD and anxiety in a new interview with People.
"I'm living in a nightmare," the "America's Got Talent" judge said. "I try to anchor myself. I have a beautiful family and I love what I do. But at the same time, I can fall into a dark depression I can't get out of."
Mandel, who's been living with his mental illnesses since he was a child, told People that dealing with the pandemic was especially tough.
"There isn't a waking moment of my life when 'we could die' doesn't come into my psyche," he said.
According to Mandel, he usually would focus on "the fact that everybody around me was okay" in order to deal with his anxiety. But the pandemic changed that.
"The whole world was not okay. And it was absolute hell," Mandel explained.
The "St. Elsewhere" actor said that he worried about his decision to first speak out about his mental health disorders in 2006, and still worries that some might not fully understand his struggles.
"People see inconsistencies, especially in the media. 'Oh he hugged someone' or 'he shook someone's hand.' I can shake your hand. But then I'd think I didn't wash it well enough," Mandel said. "And I'd go back and forth in a loop washing my hands for hours. I understand the funny in that. But it doesn't mean it isn't incredibly painful."
"And I don't want to defend my mental health. I just want to maintain it," he added.
Mandel is far from the only
In recent years, stars like Sophie Turner, Chrissy Teigen, and Chris Evans have all opened up about their experiences with disorders like anxiety or depression. Most recently, Ryan Reynolds made a rare statement about his "lifelong pal, anxiety" and his tendencies to overthink and overwork himself.