While discussing his OCD addiction on Good Morning America with Robin today, Howie Mandel stated that when he wrote his book it was not to disclose his OCD. Howie told Robin while walking down the street he ran into a fan, which told him of their OCD addiction. In a short time the fan was saying how great it was, that someone like Howie was helping the people to understand those with OCD at last. At that moment He realized how he could help others with OCD by exposing himself to the world. The Book (Don’t Touch Me) gives a wonderful insight as to how people with OCD struggle through daily life.

After 30 years of marriage Howie’s wife and children have learned to live with the OCD. There are periods when the children are sick, that he stays in a house, behind the main house to escape the germs.

Touching other peoples hand is out of the question, he wears shoes without laces to avoid them becoming contaminate when touching the ground if they were to become untied, these are just a couple of the things Howie tries to avoid.

Howie was born in Ontario, Canada Nov. of 1955, to a young mother of 23, which was obsessed with keeping Howie germ free. When someone would touch his hands, as soon as they were gone she would wash them. If there were visitors that with a cold or sniffles that touch his crib, when they were gone the crib was washed also.

My mother didn’t fall far from the tree, one of Howie’s first memories of his grandmother “Bubbie” was her waxing the front walk so that their visitors would not tack dirt into her house.

Fr more on this subject click here: Good Morning America