Howard Hughes Jr. - Billionaire, Titan of Industry, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Howard Hughes, at one time, was one of the richest men in the world.
As a maverick film tycoon, Hughes was prominent in Hollywood from the 1920s to the 1940s. Hughes also formed Hughes Aircraft Company, set multiple world air-speed records, was a test pilot, and built the Hughes H-1 Racer and H-4 Hercules or Spruce Goose Aircraft. He bought Trans World Airlines that merged with American Airlines. Hughes is one of the 51 heroes of aviation.
Howard Hughes was also known for his eccentric behavior and reclusive lifestyle in his last 20 years. He suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and chronic pain. He spent most of his life trying to avoid germs. The last years of his life, he lay naked in bed in dark hotel rooms or sat in a totally white chair. He considered these areas to be germ-free zones. He wore tissue boxes on his feet to protect them and burned his clothing if someone around him was ill. He demanded that his staff not speak to him or look directly at him. Due to his intense pain and OCD issues, Hughes became dependent on codeine and Valium.
Although Hughes was very compulsive about washing his hands, he neglected his own hygiene later in life. He rarely bathed or brushed his teeth. Yet, his staff was still asked to layer their hands with paper towels before they served his food. “He didn’t believe germs could come from him, just from the outside,” Raymond Fowler, the doctor who conducted Hughes’ psychological autopsy. “He was convinced he was going to be contaminated from the outside.”
Hughes was diagnosed with syphilis and in his later years developed neurosyphilis that caused degeneration of his brain cells. He was also involved in many plane crashes causing significant brain injuries that were never diagnosed. Theories hold that most of Hughes’s symptoms and behaviors were expressions of an underlying disease, e.g., neurosyphilis and brain damage. “In this case, the same behaviors and symptoms that define obsessive compulsive disorder would be manifestations of a completely different neurological disease.”
The psychological autopsy and research into his life determined that Hughes was not psychotic, but he was a very disturbed man. Howard Hughes once said about himself,
“I am not a paranoid deranged millionaire. God Damn it, I am a billionaire.”
- Howard Hughes
Mental illness can be very distressing unless it is noticed at the right time and treated in a positive way. Hughes’ friends and staff recognized that he had mental issues, but they did nothing to get him the proper help. OCD and its accompanying mental issues cannot be cured, but symptoms can be brought under control, so they don’t rule your life.
Treatments that work are medication and psychotherapy. Hughes’ personality was reclusive, and group psychotherapy would have been detrimental. However using the advances of psychotherapy on a one-to-one scale, Hughes could have been helped to the point where he experienced a more normal life.
Howard Hughes is the perfect example of how mental illness does not discriminate based on class, culture, age or race. He was a captain of industry and in his time, one of the most powerful men in the world; yet mental illness afflicted him just like any common man. If you or someone you know suffers from a mental illness like OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), then please know that help is available. We at AB Consultation & Counselling Services are available to offer caring counseling psychology, guiding you on the road to recovery.