Nikola Tesla and OCD

A couple of times, we have mentioned Tesla's unusual behavior patterns. He was recognized as a germaphobe familiar as a symptom of OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder where a person has an intensive urge and feels the need to perform certain routines repeatedly to the extent where it induces distress or impairs general function. In Nikola Tesla’s life, it was visible when leaving the building he always had to turn right and walk around the entire block before he felt free to leave, regardless of the direction he headed. He was also passionate about swimming, so when taking his daily swim at the public pool, he always swam 33 laps, but if he lost count, he started from zero because he could not leave. He could not enjoy food when eating unless he first mentally calculated the volume. His initial health habits helped him defeat Cholera when he was a child, later became part of his uncontrolled phobias.