by staff reporter

Howie Mandel opens up about OCD

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Today) 03/15/11 — Cameron Diaz’s excessive hand washing and David Beckham’s obsession with symmetry inside his fridge are the tip of the OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) iceberg.  Until now, this fourth most common mental disorder has lacked the recognition and true public understanding to tackle the stigma associated with it.  On a mission to change that, filmmaker Kellie Madison’s newest narrative feature Machine Man is bringing this hush-hush disorder ‘out of the closet’ and into the Hollywood spotlight.

Howie Mandel recently told CNN host Piers Morgan “It [OCD} is very serious.  It’s something I’ve been afflicted with all my life.” Howie Mandel has revealed that his struggle to overcome obsessive-compulsive disorder has at times been tortuous.  The comedian added: “It’s really who I am. I wish I wasn’t, but it’s who I am. I’m thrilled that I have coping skills… I know that people make jokes about it, but you have no idea that it’s really torture to me.”

It can be argued that mainstream media single-handedly made mental illness OK over the last 10 years.  A generation ago, words like “depression” and “anxiety” were swept under the rug of the medical realm. A healthy dose of Oprah coupled with a Radiohead album was enough to tell anyone in the late 90’s that hey, a lot of people suffer from mental illness, get used to it. And we did.

“Somehow in this modern age, anxiety and depression are easier to digest while OCD is still considered a closeted disorder. Perhaps in the hype and excitement of our great American mental health makeover, OCD was not given the red carpet treatment into the collective American psyche.” Madison says.

Machine Man aims to do what Rain Man and Children of a Lesser God did for autism and the hearing impaired. To date, no film has been made addressing the debilitating struggles of OCD.  It chronicles the spirited tale of an average man, who struggles with an extraordinary problem, facing his most debilitating fear in order to save the woman he loves.

The topic of OCD first hit home for the filmmaker when a close friend confessed how drastically the disorder was affecting her life. Madison recently shared with AOL news, “I realized the stereotypical “Have you seen her closet?  She’s so OCD!” masked how shameful this disorder can feel to people. I decided a movie had to be made directly addressing the daily struggles of the disease.”

Aiming to do what “Rain Man” and “Children of a Lesser God” did for autism and the hearing impaired, Madison received a great deal of input while writing the screenplay “Machine Man.” Leading expert in the field of OCD, Jeff Bell  (author of Rewind, Replay, Repeat), lent his full support.

Madison’s next step is funding her film, and she has started an aggressive grass-roots campaign to the change perceptions of OCD through media and art.  The Machine Man Project is involving the public to help raise the full $2,000,000 Madison says is needed to fully fund the feature film.

“This grassroots campaign is a unique, ambitious and worthwhile endeavor…” – Alt Film Guide

“People who contribute will really feel like they’re part of the process.” Madison passionately says.

More about the Machine Man Project at machinemanthemovie.com.