NEW YORK CITY — Howie Mandel publicly disclosed his obsessive-compulsive disorder during a media appearance. The disclosure occurred as Mandel experienced a panic attack due to anxiety over touching a studio doorknob.
Following the broadcast, a stranger recognized Mandel on a street in New York City and shared a similar diagnosis with him. "It was the first time I connected with somebody else," Mandel said. "It was the first comfort I got, which I didn't have for 40-some odd years—it was to articulate, explain, and understand what was going on in here."
Mandel's spouse issued an ultimatum regarding his compulsive behaviors when he was in his mid-40s. "I didn't know I had OCD. I just knew life was hell," Mandel stated. Mandel said the compulsive rituals are difficult to stop, using profanity to describe the experience as a nightmare. Regarding misconceptions about obsessive-compulsive disorder, Mandel said: "It's like saying I just got a touch of that cancer. You don't have a touch of OCD."
Billy Bob Thornton, who also has obsessive-compulsive disorder, contacted Mandel by telephone after seeing an advertising campaign for NOCD, a virtual therapy company specializing in OCD treatment. Mandel recalled Thornton saying, "I saw your ad. I saw the NOCD. And I haven't really talked about this with anybody personally." Thornton and Mandel later discussed their experiences with the disorder on Mandel's podcast, Howie Mandel Does Stuff. "Billy talked about how tiring it is, just to go through your day and not be pulled into the obsessions and the compulsions that this horrible issue creates," Mandel said.
NOCD was founded by Stephen Smith approximately 11 years prior to 2026. "I was misdiagnosed six different times and unfortunately that's the standard for people with OCD," Smith stated. NOCD, which was valued at nearly $270 million in 2024, conducts at least one million therapy sessions annually. More than 140 million people in the U.S. have health insurance covering access to NOCD. The company has also added prolonged exposure therapy to treat patients with both obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.