How Howie Mandel's OCD Started

[@lonelyone]

It all makes sense now. I can't believe I've never heard him tell this story before.

[@Wicked_Trojan]

Ok, Howie definitely gets a free pass for germaphobia for life.

[@wss222]

Amen lol

[@metalf919]

Ive had this guy wrong the whole time and i feel like shit now.

[@davidanderson6055]

No kidding, I totally did not understand his situation.

[@darellsimons2687]

Hes not alone

[@Chiller-pc1dv]

It's OCD

[@kevinkelker4371]

God bless Howie's mom... Damn, that's the craziest story.

[@ThePurePlayaz]

WTF... That's insane but shows how things as a child shapes them for LIFE.

[@Balletcalvero]

I feel like that doctor violated a whole lot of ethical boundaries...

[@clath2823]

Sounds like he was an old Nazi doctor escapee!

[@robmausser]

nowadays for sure. Back in the 70s, probably not.

[@jcortese3300]

OMG! "Can I bring your son?" How about can you CURE HIM?! He gets a pass for germaphobia for the next five hundred years. PTSD is exactly what it is.

[@Chiller-pc1dv]

And OCD

[@Chiller-pc1dv]

​​@iamsupernautIt CAN be genetic, but it can also stem from trauma. Look it up

[@richc6646]

The sand fly incident with Howie has the making of a based on a true story horror movie.

[@Albinoman887]

Holy shit this story is nuts . That had to be so tramatizng for him

[@benwu7980]

'Honestly, it is traumatic just listening to it' That story made me do a lot of internal reversals over some things that I mainly discounted as ignorance, or something similar on what people use as some excuse for behaviour. Turns out it, in some cases, just highlights how ignorant .. I am

[@oui2611]

we used to poke fun at his ocd but didnt care to understand why he had it. now that i know its eye opening and it makes sense and i can see myself having ocd too after that fucked up experience.

[@renakmans3521]

I have OCD as well but that story would seem to create OCD even if you weren’t born with it! Damn…

[@MetalForLife1970]

I have OCD as well......there is always a triggering incident like Howie's in this interview. Sadly once that happens it's all over for us.....nothing has worked to rid me of this hell

[@renakmans3521]

@@MetalForLife1970 I hear you BUT, there are modalities that help mitigate OCD. That’s all we can ask for and if we get even better than that, surprise! What’s honestly helping me is something very few therapists have jumped into and that is non-duality practice. These are people coming from Indian spiritual practice, and without dogma! That’s important for me bc I have religious OCD. But whatever it is, we essentially are giving way way too much attention to thoughts which are actually not even ours. We think they are bc we’re conditioned from birth to have a name and be someone special. That’s all based on illusion. You can check out well known people like Eckhart Tolle who essentially repeats in his own way the teaching from yogic paths like Hinduism and Buddhism and/or you can look for many othered that have already passed like Nisargadatta Maharaj and Ramana Maharishi. You are not your identity which the thoughts and feelings are tied up with!! Study! ❤️

[@fastbreak0822]

Psyched I caught this clip...... Plan to watch the entire episode now....... I never knew why Mandel was a germaphobe until viewing this. Previously did not have any compassion for OCD much.... Super sorry you went through that trauma as a kid bro...... I’m getting older , wiser , and more importantly much softer and compassionate..... Soft is not weak.... Thank you for sharing Maher

[@tphillips37]

OCD can occur later in life. I was one of those "just get over it" people, and then when I started menopause, I started developing odd habits. I have to check to be sure the stove is off - not just off, I have to touch the burner controls to be sure they're in the off position - and make sure everything is unplugged before I can leave the house. It bothers me so much that I can't NOT do this.

[@smw4628]

I have a whole new respect for Howie after this. That would be horrible.

[@Warrenwalker30]

Ive heard him talk about it before but not the whole story i completely get it now

[@tenorjosh]

Thank you for sharing that story.

[@michaelstock6599]

Wow… bills “ughs” describe this so well

[@randygarry3678]

My own germaphobia is somehow worse after hearing that story !! LOL

[@remainfocused8570]

Best Ques/Answer I heard in 2 years. Howie, friend in my mind, always wondered why you are a germaphobe. Officially thank both of you.

[@BLAB-it5un]

Hadn't heard Howie describe the cause of all this before but the idea that early life trauma is the defining cause or a major contributing factor to OCD and perhaps many if not all mental health challenges later makes perfect sense yet is not well known or studied. And other causes likely also exist. But the fact that Howie's extreme OCD isn't some random curse is important. But then his daughter also deals with something similar but I think she too has identified trauma as a contributing cause. PTSD is a poor term and not well understood either but anything that can move the needle towards a focus on causes - life events and traumas specifically - rather than randomness, genetics, chemical imbalances and the like is welcome.

[@justylex]

Horrible, and a traumatic event like that can certainly trigger OCD. Both of my kids have OCD, and there was a stressor that triggered it for both. That being said, the genetic predisposition for it would still be there and if that event had not happened, something else likely would have triggered later on. Howie’s daughter also has OCD. Both of my kids have it, and so does my niece.

[@room2growrose623]

Wow!! 🤯, I can’t believe I’m doing this, but I’m going to subscribe.

[@dallaskinard3143]

I love that Howie rocks AF1s lol

[@Zuzu01]

Well.. I’m never gonna go to the Beach again. Thanks Howie! 😙

[@smithsmithy4817]

Wow.....no words...

[@RiderRescue]

So interesting. When I was 5 or 6 (the same age that Howie was when he experienced his own trauma)... I was getting a haircut... and my mom didn't like the way the barber was cutting my hair. My mom and the barber then wound up in a yelling match... that led to the barber ripping off the cape because didn't want to cut my hair anymore. However, as he was ripping off the cape he had the scissor in his hand and the pointy part of one side wound up stabbing me in the face just below my eye and I was gushing blood everywhere. I was fortunate not to lose my eye. Long story short... this ultimately led to my anxiety OCD that made it so that I could never go to a barber to get my hair cut... and would always have to cut it myself... sometimes for hours at a time... without being able to stop. This situation is only now getting better... now that I am no longer on any sort of western medication which only seems to exacebate my symptoms. Definitely feel Howies' pain.

[@A11Omar]

I love how Bill’s face conveys how horrified he is at the story

[@Hey-Hi-Jules]

Bill's baked. Howie's talking specifics and Bill's being an existentialist 😂

[@degaulle30]

'This is depressing that my friends now have grandchildren' Um..Bill..you're literally nearly 70 😂

[@Albinoman887]

Who was this doctor ? Joseph mangala?!

[@failinginamerica]

it’s weird how much more I respect him hearing about the fact he went through that horrible shit lmao

[@Yuyu99000]

HOLY SHIT. This is a true nightmare omfg

[@amaza888]

To all future parents : take notes. All of this? Do the OPPOSITE.

[@meijiishin5650]

I mean...to be fair his parents didnt do anything wrong. They took him to the doctor.

[@jordynsmith6450]

Yea.. and as soon as they realized something was wrong with what the doctors were doing, she pulled her son out of there and took him home?

[@formulahank1250]

This is a very legitimate reason to be a germaphobe

[@birdo623]

Poor bastard! No more making fun of Howie for this!

[@tonyabshire3917]

Why you making fun of him in the first place?

[@richardarnez4932]

It also kind of sounds like his mother was a little bit OCD herself and overbearing

[@jorgepadilla9945]

how? by taking him to the dermatologist ??

[@Chiller-pc1dv]

You can't be a little bit OCD. You either have it or you don't

[@vvoof2601]

Yeah you have absolutely no idea about anything. Overbearing?!?!? After what they publicly did to her son??? Please never EVER EEEEVVVEEEERRRR have children.

[@fighisver]

@@Chiller-pc1dv Well you can, some people don't have it as bad as others.

[@Chiller-pc1dv]

​@@fighisverThen that's mild OCD. They still have OCD. Again, either you have it or you don't

[@miracleswip]

I wonder about the footage from the mad doctor with the liquid nitrogen 🤔

[@johngreen2468]

so basically instead of curing the kid immediately the doctor decided to torture him, tied, in front of huge audience? WTF

[@Beth-pf6oo]

It's barbaric but it shows how much has changed since he was a child. He's 66 so this happened around 1960. Whole different world then, especially in the field of medicine. Imagine what the 1800s were like 😳😳

[@oui2611]

history hasnt really been great with people so as much as we have problems today were living way better than those days of experimenting with kids or just a little over 100 years ago slavery. injuries were more fatal, there was no anesthesia for surgeries. its harrowing. shits fucked still, suicide, fear of nuclear war, climate change, but even with those things the world seems a million times better than how it used to be.

[@TheBella2u]

Loved Howie since St. Elsewhere.....

[@differentfins]

Dear Hollywood, no more vampire movies.... this, this is far more terrifying.

[@michaelwayne1977]

Did Howie grow up in the 1400’s?

[@oui2611]

maybe youre onto something, maybe howie has accidentally given away a hint that he is a vampire that grew up in a medieval farm where worms grew in his body

[@markk2745]

I feel like its insane for the doctor to ask to do this and insane for his mom to agree to do this.

[@Antropovich]

Yeah i have hard time listening to this

[@meijiishin5650]

That was...incredibly fucked up

[@diamond6719]

I have this. I have to wash everything . My hand about 35 times a day

[@justingreen6561]

man wtfffff. lol. wow. umm, ya i think we'd all be a little F-ed after that experience. n Bill nailed it, Im a little f-ed just after hearing it.

[@yogaqueen1527]

He was traumatized as a kid. Terrible

[@wn8022]

Poor Howie. No Wonder. 😢

[@BLAB-it5un]

Bill Maher is offensively ignorant here. And that stupid cigar-joint-stick thing really doesn't help. It comes across as a non-verbal "fuck you" to the seriousness of Howie's issues If Maher sits there feeding two of his own irrational addictions (yes the stupid drink is noted as well).

[@marissamorales3273]

I wonder if the doctor knows of him now and feels bad 😳

[@tali613]

That’s the freakiest story I’ve ever heard in my LIFE!!!! 😳😳😳😩😩😫😱😰

[@Arcterion]

Jesus Christ, that's fucking horrifying.

[@rickyball5165]

OMG that's crazy.

[@oui2611]

yep i would be a germaphobe too if that happened to me at 5 years old,

[@Chiller-pc1dv]

He has OCD

[@joeygarcia8295]

Bill, it's possible that you could have great-grandchildren at this point.

[@tonyabshire3917]

No wonder! Like Bill said, just listening to that story was horrible.

[@amoneylabamba]

WHOA!!!

[@peggy237]

Jesus christ thats horrifying, especially for a child

[@ThatZenoGuyy]

That's odd, sand flies aren't known to lay their eggs in their hosts, like bot flies.

[@erinboes9139]

What the actual FUCK?!?!

[@aboutthisproduct7674]

I know what he is going though. Unfortunately I was posed this crime of hell!

[@tugzzcouncil485]

GOD DAMN

[@MR-in8bl]

Wtf!!!!!!!!!!!😢

[@comment_below]

HOLY S*** WTF

[@reinapr1]

No wonder poor howie

[@Escobart911]

Damn

[@thecatsarse6542]

Gee's, What kinda cigarette is that?

[@avery-u1w]

weed

[@eltravos99]

YO what the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

[@leonardstilwell1894]

Good LORD ...

[@Malouco]

🤢

[@Malouco]

This is like the beginning to the movie 🍿 the fly 😮

[@trapez77]

He’s scared of things entering his body as he inhales bills second hand smoke

[@Chiller-pc1dv]

OCD isn't rational, it's a disorder. It's funny to me how many people expect a mental disorder to follow rationality. Like...seriously?

[@vvoof2601]

@@Chiller-pc1dv You seem to me the only one here who knows what they're talking about.

[@tphillips37]

I'd be a germaphobe after that, too! OMFG!

[@lovelylife1896]

Hes so extreme...it comes off annoying. Literally gave me headache

[@hollywooda111]

I cant see anything in that story that would cause OCD?...

[@anderlexcellente403]

He already had it, but the experience directed the type of OCD (contamination). Basically, we have great fears and anxieties that manifest as intrusive thoughts, which can cloud in our mind all day, everyday (obsessions). To try and alleviate this, we perform specific actions, either physically or mentally (compulsions). There is no particular obsession and compulsion that everyone with OCD has automatically (germs don't bother me for example). They are molded by adverse experiences in our lives, in brains that are susceptible to "becoming stuck" on those fears. And I know that many people wouldn't make a connection between sandflies and germs. But traumatized brains often connect anything which appears to resemble the trigger, even if it really doesn't.

[@hollywooda111]

@@anderlexcellente403 I was being sarcastic ha but what you wrote was a really good read! Thank you!

[@delsabelardo8422]

Howie Mandel talks too fast .

[@maxwelljacobfreedom]

Bill Maher the type of dude to wash his hands until all the people in his circle stop washing their hands

[@MACDRU421]

You’re a fool.

[@mem1701movies]

He should’ve told this story a long time ago

[@maxwelljacobfreedom]

"Get rid of Trump no matter what" - Bill Maher

[@Roof_Pizza]

Worx for me.

[@birdo623]

Most people would be cool with that.

[@Albinoman887]

Count me in

[@aptapathy]

Yeah if that story is true that is crazy. But got to say, that sounds a lot like a hallucination if he has some other psych issues. Sus…

[@Roof_Pizza]

Not buying it.

[@conormcnagger4703]

Maggots don’t live a year, definitely a lie

[@StewartLucrative]

Same. It's at the least completely exaggerated.

[@conormcnagger4703]

Larva don’t live for a year, you’re a liar Howie

[@southsideman4891]

LIQUID NITROGEN?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHO WAS HIS DOCTOR, JOSEPH MENGALA OR ANTHONY FAUCI?????????

[@markw999]

Fauci just tortures Beagles.

[@southsideman4891]

@@markw999 worst mass murderer in the history of the world.

[@keithgreenan7300]

Howie Mandel never had any talent.

[@Onecooliceman]

But howie on Johnny Carson show you shook his hand you were starting as a comedian

[@ParkerPPipe]

This is a bullshit story coming from a guy trying to explain away his self imposed bullshit phobia

[@Chiller-pc1dv]

It's OCD

[@StewartLucrative]

That story is complete and total bullshit 😂🤣

[@maxwelljacobfreedom]

Just listen to Joe Rogan instead

[@Noclaf555]

Rather eat a turd

[@MACDRU421]

No one is going to listen to you.

[@scottwilliam3470]

Joe Rogan Sucks

[@JackieFrankieful]

ok understandable now, but holy shit... thats some horror movie stuff