Podcast Summary: Get to Know OCD

Episode Title: Inside Howie Mandel’s OCD: The Part of His Life Few See
Host: Dr. Patrick McGrath (NOCD Chief Clinical Officer)
Guest: Howie Mandel
Date: December 8, 2025

Overview

This episode provides a candid, in-depth look at Howie Mandel’s personal journey with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Hosted by Dr. Patrick McGrath, the conversation explores the complexities, misconceptions, emotional toll, and the often unseen aspects of living with OCD. Mandel offers vulnerable reflections on his life, symptoms, misdiagnoses, family dynamics, and recovery path, emphasizing the importance of advocacy, accurate diagnosis, and accessible treatment. Throughout, the tone is open, at times humorous, yet always earnest.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Howie Mandel’s Personal Experience with OCD

• Loss of Mental Control & Debilitation

  • Howie describes OCD as the “inability to control your mind” and equates the intrusive thoughts to scenes scarier than any horror movie (00:05; 20:55).
  • Repeatedly mentions the paralyzing fear and rituals, impacting daily life and causing him to miss out on normal experiences (19:08).

• Diagnosis: A Moment of Relief

  • Howie recalls being diagnosed in his mid-40s as a pivotal moment, feeling a "huge weight lifted off my shoulder...understanding that, oh, this is a thing" (08:08).
  • Emphasizes misdiagnosis: "Most people who have it don't understand they have it. Most people who have it and go for help are misdiagnosed." (08:44)

• The Impact of Public Misunderstanding

  • Speaks to the misuse of the term OCD (e.g., “I’m a neat freak, too, I have a little bit of OCD”), likening it to saying “I got just a touch of the plague” (13:08).
  • Expresses frustration over his mental health being treated as entertainment on AGT with a hypnotist experience, feeling it was used without understanding the real-life impact (14:54–17:51).

2. Advocacy, Accessibility & NOCD’s Role

• Value of Advocacy

  • Howie receives daily DMs from people seeking help or thanking NOCD for changing their lives. He finds this outreach the most satisfying aspect of his public work (04:01).
  • Proud to be a spokesperson and advocate for NOCD, finding the work deeply fulfilling and life-changing for others.

• The Power & Reach of NOCD

  • Applauds the increased insurance coverage and accessibility for remote treatment, emphasizing, “you have access to an OCD specialist...through your mobile phone” (09:56).
  • Advises listeners: “First plan of attack is find out what it is you’re attacking. And if it’s OCD...NOCD has a tried and proven therapeutic method” (10:15).
  • Acknowledges that there’s no “cure,” but treatment and management can be life-changing (10:35).

3. The Nature of OCD: Misconceptions and the Reality

• Misconceptions and Stigma

  • OCD is "not just about cleaning and organization," but about "intrusive, persistent, and really sticky feelings and thoughts" that can attach to any topic (01:06).
  • The public's misunderstanding leads to sufferers feeling isolated and misunderstood.

• Examples of Intrusive Thoughts

  • Vividly describes common OCD fears—e.g., the compulsion to push someone in front of a train; the panic of not being able to prevent catastrophic, illogical thoughts (21:41).
  • Dr. McGrath and Howie emphasize that the difference between having odd thoughts and OCD is the persistence, intensity, and distress these thoughts cause (20:58; 21:26).

4. Family, Childhood, and Generational Patterns

• Family Impact & Genetics

  • Howie’s daughter Jacqueline also struggles with OCD, and he expresses guilt and wonders about genetic roots: “So that's the gift I gave my firstborn…she’s my hero” (35:36).
  • Discusses diathesis-stress model (genetic predisposition + life stressors) with Dr. McGrath (36:10).

• Growing Up in an “OCD” Household

  • Childhood home heavily sanitized—furniture wrapped in plastic, disinfecting after visitors—a reflection of generational fears (29:49–31:18).
  • Howie’s early obsessive tendencies likely shaped by his mother: “I feel like I was hermetically sealed for the first five years of my life” (30:57).

• Real-life Example: Compulsive Behavior Affecting Parenting

  • Recounts making his 10-year-old daughter and himself fly to Australia in masks and gloves, years before COVID, due to contamination fears (25:41–29:18).
  • Guilt over making family members anxious and his child “not live a normal life.”

5. Substance Use & Coping Mechanisms

• Pandemic Stress

  • Describes the COVID-19 pandemic’s disproportionate impact, leading to near-complete social withdrawal and escalating unhealthy coping—“I started taking gummies...the goal was not to ease my mind, was to blackout” (33:42–34:42).
  • With support from his wife, ceased substance use: “So it’s been about two years since I’ve even had a beer” (35:04).

• Support System as Lifeline

  • Credits his wife Terry for demanding he seek help, providing tough love that started his recovery journey (24:25).

6. Exposure Therapy and the Path to Recovery

• Therapeutic Methods

  • Dr. McGrath discusses exposure therapy—gradual, guided exposure to feared stimuli—as the gold standard for OCD treatment (16:53; 23:02).
  • Mandel affirms: "I'm forced to do things that are, for the most part, uncomfortable. But I understand...It's hard to emerge from a hole that you dig in your...It's like you want to dip your toe into the water. It's cold water." (44:11)

• Coping & Acceptance

  • Both Howie and Dr. McGrath stress that learning “you don’t have to trust everything your brain tells you” is critical (41:11).
  • Howie underscores: “Thinking is not helpful…let’s now cope with the result of whatever that is instead of going down this rabbit hole of thought, which is not real” (41:45).

7. Emotional Vulnerability & Humor as a Shield

• Humor as a Coping Mechanism

  • Howie often uses humor to deal with pain: "The more I hurt, the more scared I am…the more I try to make jokes just to try to create some lightness for myself” (14:46).
  • Notes how people sometimes misinterpret his levity: "It's not a joke” (14:54).

• Memorable, Honest Admissions

  • On intrusive thoughts: “I’ve never seen a horror movie scarier than the stuff that goes through my mind” (00:10; 20:55).
  • On the effect of OCD: “There’s no such thing as a touch. It’s not like a light cold. It is debilitating. It is a monster” (13:08).

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

Howie Mandel:

• “I’ve never seen a horror movie scarier than the stuff that goes through my mind.” (00:10, 20:55)
• "Most people who have it don't understand they have it...most people...are misdiagnosed." (08:44)
• “That’s like saying I got just a touch of the plague.” (13:08)
• “I feel like I was hermetically sealed for the first five years of my life.” (30:57)
• "The goal was not to ease my mind, was to blackout." (34:42)
• “There’s no such thing as a touch [of OCD]. It is debilitating. It is a monster.” (13:08)
• "It's hard to imagine that anybody else shares your experience...that you could even articulate to somebody. Here’s what it is. What should I do?" (07:48)
• “I’m forced to do things that are, for the most part, uncomfortable. But I understand…” (44:11)
• “Thinking is not helpful…Let’s now cope with the result of whatever that is instead of going down this rabbit hole of thought, which is not real.” (41:45)
• On advocacy: “This is one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done in my life, because anything...I'm just telling you, this works. This is the answer.” (12:14)

Dr. Patrick McGrath:

• “You don’t have to trust everything your brain tells you. And OCD wants you to believe that everything your brain tells you is true.” (41:11)
• "One of my favorite days of doing therapy, I spent three hours a foot from a train track…telling [a patient] 'push me into every train that comes by.' That’s exposure therapy." (23:02)
• “OCD is one of the top 10 most disabling disorders you could potentially have...” (18:05)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Howie’s initial thoughts and the impact of OCD: 00:00 – 03:09
• NOCD commercial and advocacy: 03:09 – 05:46
• Howie’s diagnosis and relief: 07:48 – 08:53
• Misdiagnosis and access to care: 08:53 – 10:35
• COVID and OCD stress escalation: 10:35 – 12:14; 33:39 – 35:07
• Misconceptions about OCD: 13:08 – 14:54
• AGT hypnotist incident & 'mental health as entertainment': 14:54 – 17:51
• Intrusive thoughts, violence, and fears: 21:26 – 23:46
• Exposure therapy explained: 23:02; 41:45
• Family support and genetics: 24:25 – 25:47; 35:36 – 36:39
• Parenting with OCD / The Australia trip story: 25:41 – 29:18
• Childhood and generational OCD: 29:49 – 33:18
• Howie and Dr. McGrath on reality of OCD thoughts: 39:47 – 41:07
• Encouragement for those struggling & closing remarks: 45:19 – 46:31

Takeaways for Listeners

• OCD is far more than an organizational quirk; it is a complex, debilitating, and misunderstood mental illness that can hijack daily life.
• Diagnosis and specialized care are critical—misunderstanding and misdiagnosis are rampant.
• Exposure and response prevention therapy, while challenging, is highly effective.
• Support—family, professional, and community—makes a profound difference.
• There is no quick cure, but with help (like through NOCD), sufferers can regain control and live fulfilling lives.

Conclusion

This episode strips away the stereotypes and misconceptions about OCD through the deeply personal and unfiltered lens of Howie Mandel, guided by Dr. McGrath’s clinical knowledge. With a blend of humor, vulnerability, and gravitas, it offers insight, hope, and practical encouragement for anyone affected by OCD or supporting someone who is.

For resources and help, listeners are directed to nocd.com.