Howie Mandel Opens up About His OCD Struggles

America's Got Talent judge Howie Mandel's obsessive-compulsive disorder has been the butt of jokes on the show, but it is a very real daily struggle for the comedian. Mandel, 66, called OCD "debilitating" in a new Yahoo Life interview Monday. He said some OCD patients create dangerous thoughts that may not be based in fact but can lead to rituals that "inhibit every aspect" of life.

"I didn't realize until really late in life how important [mental health treatment] was," the Canada's Got Talent judge said. "Up until that time, there wasn't the title. I thought my struggle was my normal." He said one of his symptoms of OCD is "obtrusive thoughts" that lead to obsessions that keep him from moving forward. "You can't show up," he said. "You can't be productive. It's mind-boggling."

OCD patients can often create "negative and dark thoughts" that lead to rituals that take over their lives even if they have no basis in fact, Mandel said. "Touch the doorknob ten times before you turn it to the left otherwise somebody's gonna die," he told Yahoo. "[OCD] will inhibit every aspect of your life." Obsessive hand-washing has even led to him being late to events, Mandel said.

As one of the most famous stars with OCD, Mandel is hoping to raise awareness of the condition. He joined NOCD, a website launched to help OCD patients. The partnership launch also comes during Mental Health Awareness Month. "My children, more than one, have OCD," he said. "They're just not embarrassed and they're informed. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to mental health." Like other celebrities who have brought attention to mental health, Mandel hopes raising awareness will help inspire others to speak out about mental health struggles.

Mandel sees Hollywood "exploit and celebrate" mental illness, he said. "Sometimes when you watch somebody going through a period of mental health issues, it ends up being pretty lucrative for gossip and social media." The response to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars is an example of this, for Mandel. He believes Smith may need mental health help, but that discussion was ignored in Hollywood.

Smith's slap also gave Mandel another reason to worry. His first love is stand-up comedy, but now he is afraid someone may resort to violence after hearing a joke during his shows. "That's kind of gone because now, standing on the stage, I have fear," he said. "I have fear of saying something that'll get me canceled or offending somebody so much that now the floodgate has been opened and OK for somebody to get up and hit me. But all violence stems from mental health." America's Got Talent Season 17 premieres on Tuesday, May 31 on NBC.