Jenna Ortega details the intense and specific OCD symptoms she’s been dealing with since age 7
Jenna Ortega attends Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ Emmys FYSEE Event at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on May 22, 2026Credit: Monica Schipper/GettyKey Points
Jenna Ortega says the earliest signs of her OCD manifested when she was just seven years old.
In a new interview, the Disney Channel alum recounted the routine she would perform early each morning.
These days, Ortega has other strategies and techniques to “take some of the pressure off” her struggles with the disorder.
Jenna Ortega is letting fans in on her struggles with OCD.
During a recent sit-down with Vogue, the 24-year-old Wednesday star shared that her symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder first manifested when she was just seven years old. Ortega, who began her professional career at nine, recounted waking up early each morning — before her parents and five siblings — so she could perform a specific routine before heading to school.
“I had to open the bedsheet a certain way, and open the drawer one way, and brush my hair in a slow-paced way,” the Disney Channel alum explained.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “OCD features a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions)” and can “interfere with daily activities and cause significant distress.”
Jenna Ortega in West Hollywood, Calif., on Feb. 3, 2016Credit: JB Lacroix/WireImage
Ortega said that since receiving her diagnosis, she’s come to realize that “there’s a lot of different trains rolling in my brain at the same time.”
Though she now has the language to identify her compulsions and strategies to help her cope, the actress acknowledged that OCD continues to impact her life, particularly when she’s tired, anxious, or otherwise dealing with heavy pressure.
“I just bite the bullet and do the routine,” Ortega said of her response to those difficult periods. She shared that doing so involves specific behaviors, such as repeating the phrase “take care” a specific number of times throughout the day, stepping onto set with her left foot first, and holding her breath and counting to 71.
Ortega noted that it also helps to look at her OCD as a game, in an effort to “take some of the pressure off.”
The Scream alum has additionally turned to medication and therapy for relief. As for where her career fits in, Ortega said that while her job can certainly add to her stress levels, it also offers a break from her mental health struggles by giving her somewhere else to focus her attention.
“You have to breathe [when the cameras are rolling],” she pointed out. “That’s another reason why I like my job.”
Jenna Ortega in London, England, on Oct. 15, 2026Credit: Zak Hussein/Variety via Getty
This is not the first time Ortega has spoken so openly about her mental health struggles. In a radio interview last year, she told Heart that the symptoms are especially difficult to deal with when she’s tired, and sometimes keep her up later than she’d prefer.
“When I’m tired, I have pretty intense OCD,” she shared. “That’s kind of my routine in terms of repetitive thoughts and counting everything multiple times and having to do the same action over and over.”
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She continued, “Sometimes my nights consist of just being really exhausted and going up and down the stairs six times because that’s what I think I need to do to make sure no one breaks into my home.”
Other stars living with OCD have also made efforts to destigmatize the condition by speaking openly about their symptoms, including country singer Luke Combs, Mamma Mia alum Amanda Seyfried and Riverdale’s Lili Reinhart.
Source: Entertainment