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Note: Although some web
sites list Mozart as an individual who had
Tourette's and/or OCD, it's not clear from the
descriptions of his behavior that he actually had
either. Similarly, although some web sites list
Florence Nightingale as a famous person who had
OCD, I found nothing online that described any
behaviors that would be considered
obsessive-compulsive. The following individuals are
either actually diagnosed with TS and/or OCD or
have histories that are strongly indicative of one
or both conditions.
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Dr.
Samuel Johnson (1709 -
1784)
Dr. Johnson
was a famous British poet, essayist, and
lexicographer. He wrote the Dictionary
of the English Language and The
Lives of the Poets. Dr. Johnson's
unusual movements (most likely tics) and
compulsive behaviors were observed by many
of his peers at the time and described in
such rich detail that there is little
doubt that he had Tourette's Syndrome with
obsessive-compulsive features or even
full-blown OCD. Dr. Johnson was also
reported to suffer from depression
throughout his life.
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Jim
Eisenreich (1959 - )
Jim is a
retired major league baseball player who
played with the 1993 National League
Pennant winning Philadelphia Phillies and
the 1997 World Series champions, the
Florida Marlins. Although Jim had had
Tourette's since childhood, he wasn't
diagnosed until he was a baseball player.
Jim donates much of his time to educating
the public about Tourette's and serves as
a role model for many children.
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Tim
Howard (1979 - )
Tim is the
goalkeeper for Manchester United. This
talented athlete also played in the 2000
Olympics. Tim's tics and compulsions were
evident in elementary school, and school
school was rough for him because his
classmates teased him and his teachers
viewed him as a discipline
problem.
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Howard
Hughes (1905 - 1976)
Howard
Hughes' "eccentricities" were well-known,
including a germ obsession that started in
childhood and worsened throughout his
adult years. That didn't stop him,
however, from being brilliantly successful
in both Hollywood as a film director and
producer and in aviation, where he owned a
number of airlines, and at one point held
a number of air speed records as an
aviator.
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Marc
Summers (1951 - )
A popular tv
host and entertainer, he had struggled
since childhood from obsessions and
compulsions, but didn't know what he had
until Dr. Eric Hollander came on his show
as a guest. As Marc listened to him talk
about OCD, he realized what he had. His
book, Everything
in its place,
tells his amazing story.
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Howie
Mandel (1955 - )
Voted one of
the 100 best stand-up comedians of all
time, Howie Mandel first became known
for his role in the tv series, "St.
Elsewhere," and later for "Bobby's
World." Plagued by a
long-standing germ obsession, he avoids
shaking hands with people and even built a
second "sterile" house where he can
retreat to if he fears catching germs from
anyone -- even his family.
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Dan
Ackroyd (1952 - )
It's hard to
know what accomplishment to mention first
with Dan Ackroyd -- his performance in
The Blues Brothers, his role in
Ghost Busters, his comedy in
Saturday Night Live, or House of
Blues, where people can hear great blues
music. This talented actor, musician,
screenwriter, and comedian grew up
struggling with symptoms of Tourette's and
Asperger's Syndrome. You can hear Dan
talking about how these conditions
affected him in an interview he gave on
NPR.
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David
Beckham (1975 - )
This talented soccer player
("footballer") from the UK has
recently admitted that he struggles with
his OCD: ""I've got this obsessive
compulsive disorder where I have to have
everything in a straight line or
everything has to be in pairs. I'll put my
Pepsi cans in the fridge and if there's
one too many then I'll put it in another
cupboard somewhere. I'll go into a hotel
room and before I can relax, I have to
move all the leaflets and all the books
and put them in a drawer. Everything has
to be perfect." (Source - The Independent
Online, April 2, 2006).
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