Latest news with #PureO
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Luke Combs opens up about experience with rare form of OCD
Country music superstar Luke Combs is sharing details about his struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, a struggle that he says can be "all consuming" in his life. "When it hits, man, it can be all consuming," Combs said in an interview with "60 Minutes Australia." "If you have a flare up of it, right, it could be you could think about it 45 seconds of every minute for weeks." Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a disorder marked by "uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsessions), repetitive and excessive behaviors (compulsions), or both," according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. The disorder impacts around 2% of adults in the U.S. in their lifetimes, according to the NIMH. Combs, who spoke with "60 Minutes Australia" while touring in the country earlier this year, said he struggles with a specific type of OCD known as purely obsessional OCD, or Pure O, that affects him mentally but not physically. While Pure O is not classified as an official diagnosis according to the American Psychiatric Association, it is a term some mental health professionals use to distinguish from the physical compulsions of OCD. "The variant that I have is particularly wicked because, you know, there's no outward manifestation of it," he said, adding, "So for someone like myself, you don't even know it's going on. It could be going on right now." Combs, a married father of two sons, said he has struggled with OCD since the age of 12, describing the disorder as "tedious" and "debilitating," adding that at times it can cause anxiety and disturbing thoughts. Luke Combs' releases 'Father & Sons' album: 'Being a dad is where life has taken me' The Grammy-winning musician has spoken out about his mental health struggles previously, sharing in November that he had noticed improvements in his mental health after making diet changes. He also said after the birth of his son Tex in 2022, his perspective shifted. "There's stuff that used to matter, as far as the things that you worry about, you just don't really worry about that stuff anymore," Combs said in an interview with Kelleigh Bannen on Apple Music Country, adding that "almost instantly, you're just kind of like, 'Don't care about that. Don't care about that.' And I was fine before, but I did tend to have pretty tremendous anxiety at times in my life." Luke Combs, wife Nicole Combs share sweet messages to each other for 4th anniversary Combs told "60 Minutes Australia" that he hopes to use his experience to help kids dealing with OCD, saying the disorder held him back many times in his life. "I want to be an example for those kids who don't have any hope," Combs said. "You can you can still go on and do great things even though you're dealing with something that's really tough." Luke Combs opens up about experience with rare form of OCD originally appeared on
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Luke Combs Uses 1 Word to Describe 'Debilitating' Health Condition
Luke Combs is opening up about his struggles with mental health in the hope of helping others. In a February interview with 60 Minutes Australia, the country singer shared that he's been dealing with purely obsessional obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as Pure O, since he was 12 years old. He also added that he's been going through the "worst flare-up" in years while touring. In the interview, Combs stated, "It's thoughts, essentially, that you don't want to have... and then they cause you stress, and then you're stressed out, and then the stress causes you to have more of the thoughts, and then you don't understand why you're having them, and you're trying to get rid of them, but trying to get rid of them makes you have more of them." He also used one strong word to describe the condition: "wicked." Combs further explained that the variant has is "particularly wicked because there's no outward manifestation of it." The good news is that Combs also says he feels "lucky" to be an "expert" on Pure O, because he's battled it for so long. Because of his knowledge and experience with Pure O, he says he understands "how to get out of it now." "When it hits, man, it can be all-consuming," he said, also saying that if he's going through a really hard time with it, it can last "45 seconds of every minute for weeks." So, how do you get rid of it? Don't let your thoughts rule you, Combs explains, stating, "The way to get out of it is, like, it doesn't matter what the thoughts even are. You giving any credence to what the thoughts are is, like, irrelevant and only fuels you having more of them." According to Healthline, individuals "who feel compelled to carry out mental rituals in response to distressing, persistent intrusive thoughts may have pure obsessional obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)."
NBC News
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Country star Luke Combs opens up about living with 'wicked' OCD condition known as Pure O
Country superstar Luke Combs opened up about his experience living with purely obsessional obsessive-compulsive disorder, informally known as Pure O, in a recent interview with 60 Minutes Australia. Combs, 35, has struggled with the condition since he was 12-years-old. He experienced his 'worst flare-up' of mental compulsions in years while in Australia on tour in January and described how this subset of OCD affects him. 'It's thoughts, essentially, that you don't want to have," he explained last month. "And then they cause you stress, and then you're stressed out, and then the stress causes you to have more of the thoughts, and then you don't understand why you're having them, and you're trying to get rid of them, but trying to get rid of them makes you have more of them.' The singer and songwriter describes the condition as "particularly wicked," as his intrusive thoughts are sometimes violent. "I just have to accept that they're happening and then just go, 'Whatever, dude. It's happening. It's whatever,'" he said. "It's weird, sucks, hate it, drives me crazy, but … the less that you worry about why you're having the thoughts, eventually they go away.' After more than two decades of managing the condition, Combs has learned how to navigate its challenges. He considers himself 'lucky' to be an 'expert' in getting through episodes, but acknowledged how overwhelming they can be. 'When it hits, man, it can be all-consuming,' Combs said. "If you have a flare up of it ... you could think about it 45 seconds of every minute for weeks." Looking ahead, Combs is no longer afraid of his condition and hopes to use his platform to support others facing similar struggles. 'I definitely want to spend some time at some point in my life doing some outreach to kids that deal with this," he said. "Because it held me back so many times in my life where you're trying to accomplish something, you're doing really great and then you have a flare up and it just ruins your whole life for six months ... and then you're back to where you started' Despite the challenges, Combs wants others to know that the condition does not have to define them. 'The message is if there's someone out there that's struggling with it, it's possible to continue to live your life, and be really successful, and have a great family, and achieve your dreams, while also dealing with things that you don't want to be dealing with.'
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Luke Combs details ‘debilitating' battle with rare, ‘particularly wicked' mental health condition
Luke Combs candidly detailed his battle with a rare form of OCD in a recent interview. The country music superstar shared on '60 Minutes Australia' that he has struggled with purely obsessional obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as Pure O, since the age of 12 but recently experienced his 'worst flare-up' in years. 'It's thoughts, essentially, that you don't want to have … and then they cause you stress, and then you're stressed out, and then the stress causes you to have more of the thoughts, and then you don't understand why you're having them, and you're trying to get rid of them, but trying to get rid of them makes you have more of them,' he explained of the 'tedious' and 'debilitating' condition. Combs, 35, said he feels 'lucky' to be an 'expert' in Pure O since he has dealt with it for two decades and knows 'how to get out of it now.' 'When it hits, man, it can be all-consuming,' he told reporter Adam Hegarty, adding that 'a really bad flare-up' can last '45 seconds of every minute for weeks.' The 'Forever After All' singer called the disorder 'particularly wicked,' as his intrusive thoughts are sometimes violent. 'The way to get out of it is, like, it doesn't matter what the thoughts even are. You giving any credence to what the thoughts are is, like, irrelevant and only fuels you having more of them,' he shared. 'It's learning to just go, 'It doesn't even matter what the thoughts are.' Like, I just have to accept that they're happening and then just go, 'Whatever, dude. It's happening. It's whatever.' It's weird, sucks, hate it, drives me crazy, but … the less that you worry about why you're having the thoughts, eventually they go away.' While Pure O is not classified as a diagnosis in the American Psychiatric Association's 'Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,' Healthline says professionals use the term to distinguish it from regular OCD, which is marked by physical compulsions in addition to mental. Combs, who also has anxiety, spoke out about his struggles in the hope of helping others with the same condition. 'I definitely want to spend some time at some point in my life doing some outreach to kids that deal with this 'cause it held me back so many times in my life,' he said. '… It's possible to continue to live your life and be really successful and have a great family and achieve your dreams while also dealing with things that you don't want to be dealing with.'
