Fiona Apple Discusses Having OCD

Fiona Apple is one of the most unique artists of our time and, perhaps, her inspiration comes from a deeply personal place.  The singer, who just released her first album in seven years (and what a title it has - The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do) has revealed her private struggle with mental illness.

She explains to Elle: "I had really bad obsessive-compulsive disorder. At its worst, I was compelled to leave my house at three o'clock in the morning and go out in the alley because I just knew that the paper-towel roll I threw in the recycling bin was uncomfortable, like it was lying the wrong way, and I would be down in the garbage."

The struggle with the disorder also hindered her ability to really go anywhere. She goes on to say:  "I'll be going to (Los Angeles venue) Largo to see my friends ... (and) I'll start freaking out, and it won't stop until I'm actually there. I still don't know how to drive. I don't go anywhere, really, except for Largo. My brother drives me. I walk around my neighborhood but I don't go anywhere, nor do I want to."

Anyone who has any sort of experience with OCD will understand exactly how she feels. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a new chapter in her life.