'Just bite the bullet...': Jenna Ortega reveals OCD diagnosis, symptoms
What's the story
Actor Jenna Ortega recently opened up about her battle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) since she was seven. Speaking to Vogue, the 24-year-old actor revealed how these symptoms have shaped her daily life. She added, "There's a lot of different trains rolling in my brain at the same time." "I had to open the bedsheet a certain way, and open the drawer one way, and brush my hair in a slow-paced way," she recalled from her childhood.
Daily routine
Symptoms manifest as specific routines
Ortega shared that her OCD symptoms manifest as specific routines she must follow daily.
"I just bite the bullet and do the routine," she said, adding that these behaviors often emerge when she's anxious, tired, or jet-lagged.
Her current rituals include repeating "take care" a certain number of times each day, entering sets with her left foot first, and holding her breath while counting to 71.
Coping strategies
Viewing OCD as a game has helped her
Despite sometimes working with a therapist and trying medications, Ortega has found relief by viewing OCD as a game.
"That's another reason why I like my job."
She added that when she's filming, she has "to breathe."
Her new film Klara and the Sun, where she plays an artificial best friend, was released on Friday in the US and the UK.
However, an official Indian premiere is yet to be announced.