Ellen DeGeneres discussed her experience with aging and various health issues in her Netflix special, For Your Approval, which came out on Tuesday.
In the special, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with three conditions: osteoporosis, ADHD, and OCD, to which the star succumbed after being dropped from television and radio programs with the discontinuation of the Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Ellen DeGeneres Triple Diagnosis: Osteoporosis, ADHD, and OCD:
The 66-year-old DeGeneres revealed how she found out she had osteoporosis after taking a bone density test, which she referred to as a ‘stupid test.’ She said to me, “I have full-on osteoporosis,” which is a condition that weakens the bones and also puts more pressure on people who suffer from it due to higher risks of fractures.
Ellen quipped, saying, ‘I’m like a human sandcastle.” I could disintegrate in the shower,” as she explained how she originally realized something was wrong after suffering agonizing pain, which she believed was a torn ligament but was later diagnosed with arthritis.
Struggling with osteoporosis, which was partially discussed in Secret Millionaires, Ellen was also diagnosed with ADHD and OCD. During the special, she said that it is difficult for her to concentrate due to ADHD and joking about how she once thought that OCD meant being clean. She explained she grew up in Christian Science and did not identify mental health conditions as a cause for the issue.
Mental Health and Public Scrutiny:
Ellen also made acknowledgments of her breaking point in mental health when she left her show in 2022 due to allegations of making a hostile workplace. She goes further and explains that she had to seek the help of a therapist as a result of the way the criticism affected her emotionally.
She also noted that it was difficult to handle the public’s viewpoint and recalled how she used to worry a lot about what others thought, but now, she no longer pays much attention to it.
Ellen’s candid reflections on aging, her health diagnoses, and dealing with public controversies offer a vulnerable and insightful view of her challenges, wrapped in her signature comedic tone.