Ellen DeGeneres reveals getting diagnosed with osteoporosis, OCD, and ADHD
Ellen DeGeneres opened up about several challenges she is facing in line with her mental and physical health.
On her new Netflix special For Your Approval that premiered this September, the TV personality revealed that she was diagnosed with "full-on osteoporosis," which weakens one's bones.
"I don't even know how I'm standing up right now. I'm like a human sandcastle. I could disintegrate in the shower. It's hard to be honest about aging and seem cool," the 66-year-old comedian and actress said.
But things didn't end there as she also developed arthritis—or "redness and swelling (inflammation) of a joint," per Johns Hopkins Medicine.
"I had excruciating pain one day and I thought I tore a ligament or something and I got an MRI and they said, 'No, it's just arthritis.' I said, 'How did I get that?' And he said, 'Oh it just happens at your age,'" Ellen recounted.
When it comes to her mental state, Ellen has also been been dealing with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as of late. OCD is a condition where one "experiences uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (
Ellen recalled being diagnosed with these conditions after she left her long-running daytime talk show amid allegations that she had been fostering a toxic work culture, causing many to bombard her with criticisms.
"I was in therapy for a while trying to deal with all the hatred that was coming at me. And you know, it was not a common situation for a therapist to deal with," Ellen said.
"I may have OCD because a therapist said so and I said, 'Yes I am very organized,' because I thought that was the O," she continued. "I didn't know what OCD was. I was raised in a religion, Christian Science, that doesn't acknowledge diseases or disorders. So when I was growing up, nobody talked about anything. There was no discussion of anything."
After taking some time to reflect, Ellen shared that she might have gotten her OCD from her father.
"He would check the doorknob 15 times before we'd leave, he'd check the faucet 15 times, he would unplug all the appliances before we left the house because lightning could strike and it could catch fire," she recounted.
As for her ADHD, she said that the condition makes it "really hard [for her] to sit down and focus on anything at all."
"Do you know how hard it was for me to put this together? I have ADHD, I have OCD, I'm losing my memory. But I think I'm well-adjusted because I obsess on things, but I don't have the attention span to stick with it, and I quickly forget what I was obsessing about in the first place," Ellen said.
The retired television host became a hot topic for ending her show that ran for 19 seasons following allegations that it was a torrid place to work. Former staffers claimed that it tolerated bullying, racial discrimination, and sexual harassment. Ellen later said her decision had nothing to do with the claims.
After her Netflix special, she said that she is "done with fame" and that "this is the last time you're going to see me."
