{"id":5312,"date":"2024-06-13T12:04:12","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T12:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/?p=5312"},"modified":"2024-06-13T12:09:15","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T12:09:15","slug":"howie-mandel-reveals-hes-incredibly-medicated-admits-mental-health-struggles-are-absolute-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/?p=5312","title":{"rendered":"Howie Mandel reveals he\u2019s \u2018incredibly medicated,\u2019 admits mental health struggles are \u2018absolute hell\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Known to frequently utter, \u201cdon\u2019t touch me!\u201d Howie Mandel<\/a> shocked everyone in September 2023 as he tightly embraced Reba McEntire<\/a> on the stage of The Voice<\/a><\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The comedian, who has a debilitating fear of germs, gave into his excitement and couldn\u2019t resist the magnetic pull of the country music star.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While in the spotlight, Mandel seems energetic and happy, but off screen, he explains he\u2019s a \u201cscared\u201d man, who out of the spotlight prefers to live \u201cin the fetal position.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And recently, he made a shocking confession, revealing how he manages the OCD that guides him to \u201cabsolute hell.\u201d<\/strong> Keep reading to learn more!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nightmare of the global pandemic unleashed the inner germaphobe in many people, sensitizing the population to the dangers of contamination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many, that fear only lasted a couple of years but for others, the fear of germs is never-ending and debilitating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere isn\u2019t a waking moment of my life when \u2018we could die\u2019 doesn\u2019t come into my psyche,\u201d says Howie Mandel, who struggled with severe anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) since he was a child. Speaking with People<\/a>, the 68-year-old TV personality explains the pandemic was especially triggering: \u201cBut the solace I would get would be the fact that everybody around me was okay. It\u2019s good to latch onto okay. But [during the pandemic] the whole world was not okay. And it was absolute hell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Mayo Clinic<\/a> describes OCD as a \u201cpattern of unwanted thoughts and fears known as obsessions. These obsessions lead you to do repetitive behaviors, also called compulsions. These obsessions and compulsions get in the way of daily activities and cause a lot of distress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m living in a nightmare,\u201d says the Canadian-born comic. \u201cI try to anchor myself. I have a beautiful family,\u201d says Mandel of wife Terry (married in 1980), and their three kids, Alex, Riley and Jackie. \u201c\u2026I love what I do. But at the same time, I can fall into a dark depression I can\u2019t get out of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laughter is the best medicine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mandel, who in 1982 had his big break on the medical drama St. Elsewhere<\/em>, explains every day is a struggle but his humor helps him through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy coping skill is finding the funny. If I\u2019m not laughing, then I\u2019m crying. And I still haven\u2019t been that open about how dark and ugly it really gets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noting that he uses comedy to resist the dangerous pull of OCD, Mandel adds, \u201cI\u2019m most comfortable onstage. And when I don\u2019t have anything to do, I turn inward, and that\u2019s not good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing his unparalleled sense of humor to every project, Mandel always has something to do, like serving as a judge in the America\u2019s Got Talent<\/em> (AGT) franchise and hosting several other shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Incredibly medicated\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, he had a chat with Kelly Clarkson on an episode of her talk show and candidly spoke of his mental health issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m neurotic, I have OCD\u2026so people think that I\u2019m enjoying myself, and I\u2019m out and amongst people\u2026I\u2019m scared. I like to go home and just live in the fetal position,\u201d he told the host.<\/p>\n\n\n