Fiona Apple: ‘I Had Really Bad Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder’
The singer on her struggles with mental illness and a new single.
June 20, 2012 - 5:00 pm
via Fiona Apple Opens Up About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Battle – Spinner.
Just looking a Fiona Apple will tell you two things: She’s uniquely beautiful and probably going through some serious crap. The singer recently spoke to Elle (quote via Yahoo!) about her battle with mental illness, specifically obsessive-compulsive disorder.
“I had really bad obsessive-compulsive disorder,” Apple said, admitting to battling the condition before seeking professional help. “At its worst, I was compelled to leave my house at three o’clock in the morning and go out in the alley because I just knew that the paper-towel roll I threw in the recycling bin was uncomfortable, like it was lying the wrong way, and I would be down in the garbage.”
I am saddened to hear that, and must state the first album of hers I have is awesome.
There’s a reason Fiona Apple has some mental health issues – I seem to recall that she was brutally raped as a child while walking home from school. That kind of trauma has to leave a mark.
I really like some of her music – but not that one.
And that’s the worst music video I’ve seen in recent memory.
OCD is not necessarily caused by a trauma like rape. I have a mild case of it I do a pretty good job of hiding from everyone but my family (and they live with me). But it IS a daily thing, and it especially gets bad when I’m stressed or unhappy. Part of dealing with it has been learning how to recognize the triggers that cause it to flare up.
I feel for people who suffer from dehabilitating OCD that prevents them from working or leaving their rooms without elaborate and time consuming rituals/precautions. I know how much it sucks when your rational mind tells you one thing and your gut tells you something else.
As for Apple’s music, I never really got into it.