During a recent interview, “America’s Got Talent” judge Howie Mandel has opened up about his diagnosis with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

“I don’t remember not experiencing OCD,” Mandel told USA TODAY.

OCD is often a long-lasting disorder where people have uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions) causing them to feel the need to repeat over and over, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Approximately one out of 40 people (180 million) worldwide are affected by OCD, Regence reports. On average, it can take roughly 13 years for medical experts to diagnose someone with OCD, which is considered “highly treatable.”

Mandel told USA TODAY that the condition is deeply misunderstood and that his symptoms are debilitating.

“I can’t tell you how many people in the course of a week will come up to me and say, ‘I have a little bit of that.’ Well, you don’t have a little bit of OCD,” he told the media outlet.

Mandel continued by saying that “People interpret OCD as being persnickety or being really neat or fastidious, that is not OCD…. OCD is a nightmare if you are diagnosed with it… and a lot of people have it and are misdiagnosed.”

Inspired by his owner journey, Mandel has partnered with NOCD, a company that has been offering video-based OCD therapy since 2022.

The AGT judge said he created the partnership after recognizing the need for accessible, reliable mental health care, especially with growing concerns around “AI therapy,” USA TODAY wrote.

“If you really feel like you are suffering, AI isn’t the answer,” Mandel said. “That is not a tool for mental health, just like it’s not a tool for physical health.”

Instead, Mandel hopes that AI chatbots like ChatGPT will help refer users showing signs of OCD to resources like NOCD, where they can speak with real-life therapists with expert training in the condition and exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy.

“For OCD, you have to go to someone who is an expert… not only an expert in therapy for it, but an expert for diagnosing it,” he told USA TODAY. If someone happens upon his story, he hopes they will arrange an appointment to at least get diagnosed. From there, they can find the right treatment plan to manage their symptoms.

“It’s a constant journey, and it’s a constant battle that I, for the most part, am winning. But the battle goes on,” Mandel said. “It’s worth battling.”