RULED BY THEIR OBSESSIONS
Great British Bake Off star Paul Hollywood has revealed his secret battle with OCD but what exactly is it and how does it affect the lives of those who suffer from it?
WHEN not obsessing over perfect choux pastry, Paul Hollywood can often be found polishing his beloved Aston Martin. But for the Great British Bake Off star this is no ordinary hobby. For Hollywood has admitted that his preoccupation with cleaning the car – sometimes “every couple of hours” – borders on obsession.
“It is OCD. I’m obsessed with my Aston,” he recently revealed on his one- off BBC show Licence To Thrill. The baker said his obsessive compulsive disorder also affects him when he’s cooking. “I’ve got it in the bakery and now I’ve got it with the car,” he explains. But OCD is no laughing matter.
The anxiety disorder – which affects about two per cent of the population – is characterised by obsessive, irrational worrying, repetitive behaviour and bizarre rituals. While many of us follow certain procedures in order to feel in control of our lives, for OCD sufferers these rituals make normal life impossible.
Take Nikola Tesla, recognised as one of the greatest inventors of the 20th century. Not only did he have a germ phobia, the inventor who created the foundations for X- rays, radar and radio was obsessed with the number three and would walk around the block three times before entering a building.
As for tycoon Howard Hughes, an early manifestation of his OCD was an obsession with peas and sorting them by size.
Although the disorder was first named in the late- 19th century, it has probably existed throughout human history. And although it is a debilitating condition it is also a fascinating one.
Take the case of 34- year- old Mademoiselle F, which in 1838 became one of the first examples of OCD to be described by a medical authority. At the age of 18 the woman was seized by the idea that she might accidentally take something from her aunt’s house that did not belong to her. To start with she would not wear an apron while visiting her relative but gradually she developed a complex series of rituals.
She would rub her feet for 10 minutes on waking to ensure nothing was caught between her toes. She would then check her slippers for items “of value” before running a comb through her hair numerous times.
Although she found the behaviour exhausting and could see that it was irrational, she felt powerless to stop it – a common OCD experience.
While the cause of the condition is unknown, childhood stress could play a part and some cases have occurred following an infection. There may also be a genetic component as identical twins
Famous compulsives
through doorways several times. He allowed his condition to worsen when he played Howard Hughes – another famous sufferer – on screen. Actor Charlie Sheen, 50, craves organisation to the extent that he once rearranged a stranger’s collar at a restaurant. Actress Jane Horrocks, 51, has had to fight the urge to count her blinks. David Beckham, 40, right, is obsessed with order. Everything must be are more often affected non- identical ones.
A spokesman for charity OCDUK welcomes the decision of famous sufferers to talk about the disorder: “OCD is often called the secret illness because sufferers go to great lengths to hide it. It’s vital that sufferers seek treatment because if they don’t it may get worse.”
Treatment for OCD can include behavioural therapy, psychotherapy and some antidepressants. With appropriate support some of the extremes of the condition can be overcome.
In 2011, Richard Wallace featured in a Channel 4 documentary called Obsessive Compulsive Hoarder. For decades he had lived in a house filled with tons of old newspapers, grocery packaging and junk. He had to sleep in a chair as the beds had long been buried under the clutter and navigate his way around his home through burrows. Outside, the pile of rubbish was so large it could be seen on Google Earth.
But with the help of a landscape gardener and neighbour who befriended him 30 tons of rubbish were removed in one afternoon. Although he still likes junk he now has less of it.
“My message to anybody thinking of collecting things?” says Wallace. “Don’t.”
than in pairs – if there are three books on a table one must be added or removed. He also reorganises hotel rooms in order to feel comfortable.