@@random.9238 Obsessiveness could be called a trait. OCD cannot by definition. It describes an acute state of obsession that has left someone partially or wholly unable to function in a way that can be recognised in the DSM as healthy. The two are not mutually exclusive, that may be where you are confused.
“Right now, you’re happy?” “I’m distracted.” Oh Howie… as a fellow OCD sufferer, I understand. Also, we OCD sufferers know what it’s like to live on the brink of insanity.
"I'm Distracted" is a term that defines me. I went from a hard working carpenter to a huge gamer because my mind does NOT stop obsessing on my obsessive thoughts unless I am distracted with gaming. I can no longer have a job because of this disorder and I'm trying to get on disability.
@@mikegarman7593 I have fairly severe OCD and right now I'm pretty focused on my career and am doing pretty good. Its real hard sometimes no doubt but I have hope for the future. Taking it one difficult day at a time.
@@russellnoe3054 well i assume u are medicated aswell. I tried 9 different medications and none improved my state of living hell. Its not the same for everyone
Howie has been struggling with this shit for what, 20-30 years? At some point you would think he would get better, instead he is drugged up and miserable. Do the fucking work to get better, this is so old and pathetic.
Yea the distraction making him seem happy was very real, and it is nice that he points out how much people joke about having it or acting like you don’t have it just cause your not always clean or whatever
I have OCD and once I found out from a meditation practice that my OCD stemmed from a false belief that “I could think my way out of every problem,” it changed the game for me. I discovered that my incessant ruminations and checking patterns were my brain’s way of thinking it could get out of every problem I was having. Wrong. OCD people have a very strong internal voice…. So it’s imperative that we get out into reality and away from our inner voice. We also have to stop believing we can stop problems from happen by just obsessively thinking about them. It takes action, not just thinking!
Agreed. We also have to do things that make us uncomfortable. In fact, if something makes me uncomfortable, it probably means I need to do it. And make sure you are getting enough sleep, food, and water, and limit the caffeine. Sounds simple, but it helps. My mind gets very strong if I am tired.
I am right there with Howie. Being in my head is torture. Intrusive thoughts are no joke. I'm thankful that he shares his struggle. Makes me feel like somebody else understands me.
I have OCD too but I'm glad that I've designed my life in such a way to where I've mitigated how much I'm exposed to the triggers of my compulsions. If I didn't do it then I would be spending many hours a day with my compulsions, with it being mitigated I spend around an hour or so everyday instead. I've also realized that the more I stress about the compulsions happening makes it worse, so I've learned to just let them happen without thinking about, makes it a lot better for myself. And like Howie said, having distractions so that you don't think about things and avoid the triggers is great! Also It's actually insane how it's become like breathing in the ways that I avoid these triggers, for example, one of my Obsessions is caused by looking at specific things on web pages so I've gotten so good at avoiding looking at things to where I don't even realize that I'm doing it lol.
I am trying to understand the difference because I do repeatedly get intrusive thoughts but I don’t have any compulsions. dark /weird scenarios that I start putting together in my head based off whatever moment I am in.
I hear him screaming out for help and I pray that his family and friends are able to give him the support he needs to survive. If you read this Howie, thank you for decades of laughter and I hope you'll shine your light into this dark world for decades more! Please keep fighting🙌🏼✌🏼
Yes, it’s very concerning. He’s on a global forum basically shouting that he’s very close to a complete breakdown or self harm, IMO. I hope people close to him realize how perilous his situation is-as in, needing immediate in-patient care. That’s what I hear, anyway.
@@teecee4459 dude you act like mental illness isn’t fucking rampant in America. Did you know even rich and famous people suffer mental illness? The more you know 🙌🏻
I’m thankful howie is talking about the reality of ocd. It’s actually hurtful when people make it a joke. OCD is really so misunderstood and can really torture you mentally. The o in ocd stands for obsession as in obsessive thoughts. The c stands for compulsion. The compulsion is motivated by the relief you get temporarily of the obsessive thoughts. The thoughts can be so dark and painful. Thoughts you would never ever want to think. Thoughts that you don’t believe or agree with. They torment you again and again almost like a kid on the playground teasing you. Oh you don’t like that? I’m doing it again. All day long. Howie is right the worst time is when you are alone. Other people around can ground you a bit and distract you so much they get quiet but when you are alone they are loud. 😢
Try meditation. It helps neutralizing the thoughts that you see as ‘dark’ or ‘painful’. Thoughts are just thoughts, illusions, clouds in your head. I really recommend trying it to take the power of OCD away.
The secret to beating OCD, is to stop the compulsion, Not a fan of the word obsession in context to OCD, as it sounds like it's desired by the sufferer. We do the compulsion to cancel out the (obsession) intrusive thought. Had it for years, scrupulousity, etc. But random thoughts from the brain, do not define you, and the compulsion is a trap, if you feed the compulsion, the intrusive thoughts increase in intensity and frequency.
That sounds like PTSD causing self hate from some traumatic life event. My problem is, I have the feeling of knowing true love for the first time... Then having it ripped away from me by suicide, my Sheila was my Juliet, and I her Romeo... Only I couldn't do it... 35 years later I have 10 kids and 8 grandkids. I fight the urge almost daily to leave this mortal coil... 😢
My whole life I’ve had OCD but I didn’t know until visiting a psychiatrist recently. Watching this made me feel not alone but also sad because I am like Howie in the sense of I seem so happy but I am just distracted. I hope the best for Howie & will pray for us all ☹️💚
Howie you seem to be a great human. It can not be easy to know how big of a platform Joe has and go on there and share your most personal stories and thoughts. Thank you for sharing.
I’ve nearly cured my OCD with Ketamine Infusion Therapy. If anyone wants anymore info on it, I can tell you everything. It’s been a complete miracle for me and makes it so I can actually live. I’ve been off medication free for 4 years.
@@AlenS131 Kinda,he had to slowly stop doing things as he got older, because it became taxing on his body n daily life in general ...He still does things but it's not as extreme as it use to be...When he found a girl, who's now his wife ,she was able to help him and distract him if u know what I mean lol...Plus he had kids ,my brother finally realized you just gotta go through life without thinking about small things n just enjoy every moment, and not allowing a picture on his dresser being off by an inch to ruin his whole morning and eventually his mood for the rest of the day
I needed to hear this today. Thank you Howie for being so honest and transparent about what you go through on a daily (minute to minute) basis. I deal with the same thing and it seems like I'm always waiting for the end of something and it keeps me in a constant state of worry. Even if it's just sub conscious, i live on the verge of worry and depression at all times. It's nice to know there are others out there (very successful others) who are going through the same type of thing as myself
Howie , thanks for sharing in such detail, brother . I'm right there with you, the ability to show so much strength and hold up so well on the outside is so impressive. nothing but love
As someone who suffers from OCD as well Howie really nails how you're basically always on that "thin line" between being out and about and having a full blown OCD attack.
I suffer from it as well. It's hard to talk about it because you run into the ones that Howie is talking about. The ones that don't understand OCD at all, but say "my OCD this, my OCD that." It's refreshing to hear from someone that actually understands. Even just reading your comment gave me some solace.
To share my experience, I have a sibling that used to spend 18 hours a day naked in the bathtub when they were in their teens while my mother hand washed them. I couldn't leave my room or they'd lose their mind, so I just did my business in a bottle. They relapsed a few years ago where they thought they were a predator/bad person, and couldn't let it leave their mind - they went from living life to not knowing how to "live with themselves" and crippling their potential as a human being. Crying on a daily basis because these thoughts that they were terrible would NOT leave their mind. They ended up beating their mind up so badly they created false memories about hurting people. It's terrifyingly sad. I feel immensely for Howie.
I relate so much with you Howie, I suffer OCD with a fear of uncertainty about the future (someone or something will happen to take what I have away from me). And my bouts are intermittent and change in focus … I love your braveness in speaking on this with Rogan. And Joe, what a gent.
I was very similar to Howie at one stage in my life and what helped me enormously was when I learned that you can rewire your brain and your way of thinking. Being “busy” and keeping “distracted” is not the way. He’s describing having a Fear of Fear and I believe he would benefit from a Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) course, as I did. If anyone out there is reading this and you feel hopeless and scared - please please just hold on, you can rewire your brain and create new pathways of thinking and the old ways of thinking will eventually vanish. You can live and love again!
Dear Howie, I also have OCD, childhood onset. I send you such love. Thank you for your courage in sharing your experience. Please know that many see you as a leader and need you to keep fighting. Your life has great meaning and some hold on because they see that you have held on and gotten help. You give them hope of surviving and being a success despite the condition. When the thoughts get extra intense, please remember how important you are. You are needed. Please don’t ever give up. You are loved.
Howie hit every mental health issue I have been treating for the last 5 years so perfectly. Especially when he said "I'm happy now because I'm distracted." God that hit home. I have no idea why some of us have these coginitive behaviors but its soooo exhausting.
Appreciate his candidness on depression. Something that needs to be talked about. Our 15 yr old son took his own life because of his struggles with it.
I commend you howie for opening up like that and being honest you have no idea how many lives you impact by doing that, simply relating to someone’s experiences allows them the piece of mind that they are not alone. It breaks my heart knowing this up hill battle you have been facing for your whole life and can only imagine the love for your family and friends and the courage you must have to fight that losing fight. I pray you find peace
Man, I need to talk to people like Mr. Mandel does. The first two minutes of this clip described my life and I am HOLD FAST in my mind every second sometimes and can’t take it😔😥
Scream at the top of your lungs for 5 minutes, the smoke some marijuana 😅 you will wonder wtf you were thinking 🤔😅 and you may feel stupid for dwelling on something you have no control over. 😊
Omg thank you so freaking much Howie! I have Clinical OCD myself and it hurts when people always say oh it's just my OCD because I want things my way. When that's not what it is, it's a debilitating illness where you literally can't get out of your own head and overthink yourself to death. That's why we do compulsions, because our brains are trying to distract us and make our obsessions go away. I'm glad someone big finally is clarifying it.
Unfortunately it’s the same when people also use “depressed” and “schizophrenic” as descriptors for how they feel, but the actual clinical disorders people experience are a whole other ballgame.
OCD sounds difficult and different than what Howie described, anxiety and depression might be a result of OCD for some. I don't think I have OCD but, I know I have anxiety and depression. It sounded like a description of PTSD and self hate that spontaneously elicits dark emotions and you find yourself drowning in thoughts of suicide wondering where the hell it's all coming from and getting angry at feeling so focked up..
"well you seem happy", "it is unfortunate because you are such a nice guy". Joe always comes from the standpoint of someone who has never experienced, or been closely tied to someone with crippling mental illness- it is so hard to understand. I still don't understand it, but I lived with someone for the majority of my life and have seen the rollercoaster and the fight. It seems Joe and many others like to think that exercise, diet and discipline will cure anything, for some that just isn't true or achievable
Howie, this made me weep in the middle of my work. I am not medicated or in therapy but I feel this. Thank you for speaking so openly about it. I've been so ashamed of my dark thoughts and how my masks keeps me alive. 💜
Rícó Amore. I will never forget, how he demonised intelligent people who wouldn't buy into all the Covid madness especially taking the Experimental Gene therapy.. Called "a Vaccine". We were correct all along... Not to touch it... Oh I will never forget what he said......
Howie, if you happen to read this, always remember that you have brought and still bring people joy. I hope that can help bring you a grain of peace. Please don't let your "Bad side" win. Like so many others have.
I don’t know why but describing “looking happy” or “being happy” while in the moment - as a “distraction” - perfectly describes how I felt when I got depressed as a result of my own panic attack disorder (which also involved being obsessed by thoughts, like feeling my heart)
I am always amazed at how far guys like this have gotten in life. I would imagine it was much more difficult than a normal person. When you are at the bottom no one cares what problems you have. Now I am sure they bend over backwards for him, but starting out must have been hell
I can't imagine how much worse Covid felt for someone like Howie. Glad he's able to work through it. Joe - please pass along this deeply needed app Share the Meal that helps kids!!
This eerily reminds me of Chester Bennington talking about how dark his head was and the hosts laughing through it as if he’s joking on the radio show. What Howie is saying here about being distracted is very deep and very sad. This man is broken and at the point he understands it and speaks it simply because he is clinging on, yet others who don’t comprehend the feeling miss the point.
I grew up on howie and Bobby’s world. I hear a lot of people and friends,myself that battle depression. I wonder if it has always been this way. Hope you find your peace Howie ✌️
I love when he says people often come up to him and say how they have OCD too because they have to keep things clean and organized and they don’t understand that it’s actually dealing with terrible negative intrusive thoughts. Thanks for accurately describing this, Howie! It’s the worst!
Try this when well meaning people say insensitive, ignorant things like that: Smile and nod, and keep it moving. Try it one time and see how much frustration it saves you. I figured it out while pregnant with my first child, and it worked wonders. Cheers!
@DM it really just depends on the person. Everyone is unique and different. My ocd mainly mainly came from from lack of self confidence and being self conscious about my appearance, so when I started to work out it's really helped me get a confidence boost and I had an established routine that included me going to the gym. Just getting jnto that head space in the gym of just conctrating on ur workouts and listening to music really helped me out.
@@santaclaus3077 lots of distraction. I work out twice a day - both before and after work. Lifting and cardio. I also have to take medication. I really hate meds and big pharma and think a lot of my problems have been caused by medication after prolonged use, but I have tried to go off of them multiple times and failed miserably. Getting plenty of sleep and taking care of my body. I feel like I’m constantly on the edge though, like Howie explained in the video. Like one big gust of wind could completely rock me.
@@maryhannahsmith9307 I get intrusive thoughts and sometimes I ruminate over them. Im not diagnosed with anything. It comes and goes it’s not constant. I’ve thought about talking to a therapist.
So self aware and brazenly honest. Id say a lot of people are in that state but just don't have the self awareness to perceive it or the humility to talk about it! kudos 👏
Howie is brave to share this and it makes a person like me who also have struggled with OCD for many years feel less alone. OCD can be such a debilitating condition but if there is anyone else reading this that currently having a difficult time, please know that there is help to get. Try finding a therapist specialised in OCD and if you can't find anyone close to were you live, online sessions via zoom/skype etc. really helped me. You are not alone and it can get better, there is help to get and you don't have to live your life this way 🙏
Howie isn't brave. Howie is his OCD and endless list of problems. He doesn't do the work to get better and instead turns to drugs to get by. He is a weak man.
I’ve nearly cured my OCD with Ketamine Infusion Therapy. If anyone wants anymore info on it, I can tell you everything. It’s been a complete miracle for me and makes it so I can actually live. I’ve been medication free for 4 years.
The hardest thing for me was that whenever I tried to describe my symptoms to someone they'd look at me like I was crazy. People with OCD aren't, but the disease can sometimes make you feel like you are. It's really isolating and unless you have OCD I don't think you can understand how it feels. When I was at my worst it was hell. I'm mean that literally too. It feels like torture that has no end. The good news is that there are tons of people who want (and can) help. All you need to do is ask. I will be eternally grateful for everyone who helped me and I will try to help those who suffer in return.
I recommend a book called 'Complex ptsd: from surviving to thriving'. I had similar symptoms and it really helped me. Never once thought it could be it, but I now see how prevalent CPTSD is in the world and how it presents itself. Doesn't have to be big trauma either, in fact you might not know it (but subconsciously you probably have all your life)
For someone struggling with pretty severe ocd, i think i get what howie says. But on the bright side i am much better now. But when you're at the bottom of that pit it's a really dark place with seemingly no escape. I wish the best to everyone struggling with it and stay courageous my friends!
I never thought that I would in a million years agree or associate with Howie Mandel...and now...well---brother Mandel thank you for your honesty and I feel you bro:)
Howie is so great in front of the cameras that you would have no idea the mental struggles he faces daily. But instead of being ashamed and keeping it to himself, he makes it public, which raises awareness for mental health and how debilitating it can be.
I know exactly what howie felt as he explained that. I found my way out of that darkness and I know howie can too when he finds what works for him, meditation/weed/music and isolation helped me
Weed, video games, and spending time with my kids and grandkids. Helps pull me out of a funk... Otherwise I'm face down in a pillow until I don't have the urge to go fast and risk it all...
Hearing Howie speak is so relatable and it gives me hope for myself. i'm not diagnosed OCD but i am ADD/ADHD and ODD and learning about what ADHD actually is helps me understand my own mind. ADHD is basically a lack of dopamine in the brain. Your brain burns through your dopamine too fast and that's why ADHD people are often fidgety or spacey. We just get bored too fast.
My OCD started couple years ago while I was in toxic relationship and also my friends were humiliating me and giving me hard time so I began to close in on myself and just tortured my mind my wellbeing my confidence literally to the point I dont want to go to the store to buy something bcs I would panick thoughts when interacting with pepole and I just stopped living Last year I decided to start working on my mental issues and from then first time I heard Howie described today literally what I would say how I feel every day sometimes even when Im with friends Thank you for letting me know Im not the only one bcs I was feeling that way, just gave me more strength to go on
I have moderate OCD, it drives me crazy. If I don't breathe in a certain pattern and hold my breath in certain intervals all day, it feels like I'm not scratching an unbearable itch. Have other compulsions but that's the one that really gets under my skin
I had the same exact issues as a kid. I also walked a certain way and only stepped in a specific colored square in the school hallways. If I missed it at all I’d plant both feet together and start over. Tbh I have no idea how I stopped all those odd habits.
Imagine yourself trapped in a room, and suddenly a monster appears and it’s telling you and forcing you to perform actions/rituals you don’t want to do, and you have to go along with what ever it tells you or else someone you love will die or something horrible will happen to them if you don’t do/perform what ever it’s telling you to do. And this monster reappears every 5 minutes and the cycle continues. That is what living with OCD feels like. Wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
@@ceezeer59 As someone with that. Ye shits fcked most of the day I just watch yt gets me distracted from it. But thats the perfect discription to it imma save that so I dont have to explain it to someone
my daughter is Autistic just diagnosed with OCD and anxiety. This isn’t something that can be willed away with meditation stretches, breathing and altered state of mind. I understand what Joe is saying, it can help in the moment for some people whose symptoms may not be as extreme. But for someone like Howie it would work momentarily. Obsessive compulsions are completely out of one’s control. Mental illness is a minute by minute struggle that I hope most people never have to experience.
I got OCD, it’s a nightmare. He’s right about when you’re on your own at night time. It can make your thoughts spiral into a pit of self hatred. props to him for talking about it
being on your own is an important aspect of ocd however, the tried and true method of living with ocd is exposure response prevention, and a common compulsion is when people give their fears power by seeking reassurance from other people. you need to allow the worst fears to exist without giving them power, trying to fight them or figure it out, it gets better, then the less bad ones become easier, it will always come back time and time again, but at a much lesser level or for not as long when you have the ability to recognize it for what it is and allow the discomfort until your brain gets bored of “giving you a problem to solve”. it’s not too late to change your situation, it may take a while but you can become much better at living with it without it spiraling or being a daily drain
@@h7pubg appreciate that mate. I had CBT a year ago and got a lot better, then ran out of free sessions and got worse. Thank you for the helpful message lad
I can't find a source anywhere for any good psychedelics in my area. I suffer some pretty bad depression and ocd and i got a chance to try K and man it was a miracle substance, I felt free, the only high or euphoria was from the relief of my vices being released, that's exactly what it did
The psychedelic experience is temporary but many people have permanent results first shrooms trip was really awesome, it felt like i was deep into the sea I would really love to try it again
Imagine yourself trapped in a room, and suddenly a monster appears and it’s telling you and forcing you to perform actions/rituals you don’t want to do, and you have to go along with what ever it tells you or else someone you love will die or something horrible will happen to them if you don’t do/perform what ever it’s telling you to do. And this monster reappears every 5 minutes and the cycle continues. That is what living with OCD feels like. Wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
I had a brother who had all sorts of problems, he was originally diagnosed with bpd, but a week before he had taken his own life he put himself into an institution where they did tests and he took an ocd test in which he scored a 39, just one point off of the max, so I think that joe fails to understand that when someone is so unwell, no amount of medication or meditation or help can make someone truly happy, intrusive tboughts will get the best of most people at this level and this leads to the compulsivity, and very stupid choices. Ocd isn’t always about cleanliness, but it can be much more, which people fail to see in howies case.
I admire him so much for being open about his OCD, that way those who are around him know what their boundaries are. Suffering from OCD myself I try to find all kinds of excuses for behaving in a way or for refusing to do something, I find it difficult to admit to others that I have OCD. There are those who cannot understand why for example you cannot sit on a public bench, you cannot use a public bathroom etc. They think you are too fussy and they cannot understand what goes into your head if you do them. I have been on medication for a good number of years, I did get better by time but there's still a lot to work on.
I have always loved this man. He is sweet, good and kind from everything of him that I have seen. He is smart, funny, accomplished. What is it that eats away at our souls that can cause OCD or any kind of mental disorder?.. especially in people that have everything going for them, like Howie. It's a subject of enormous concern and interest because some psychiatrists today are beginning to say there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance of the brain. Its becoming a great re-think of this field of medicine. What is it then that so many people can suffer with various conditions of the mind. Is it more of a spiritual dilemma?... than a physiological one. Thank you for this video.
This interview was great. Mr. Mandel's explanation of clinical depression and anxiety are a fact of life for many of us. With current media trends of all types, it is easy for us to get worse if we aren't watchful. These conditions can and will take us to dark places. Aggressively coping with them, as he and many of us do is our best defense. Different mechanisms work for different people. Mine is my faith, meds, and exercise. His is comedy and meds. Sadly, too many resort to self-medication or other harmful habits.
