The movie only addressed Howard’s childhood once. It depicted when he was in early childhood (possibly 5 years old) and his mother was bathing him. She was talking with him about how petrifying the world is and led him to believe all germs and diseases would kill him. It seems fair to assume that his mother probably talked this way towards Howard throughout his growing up years and therefore influenced his anxiety towards germs. His mental illness was never actually discussed in the movie beyond a casual level with an ex girlfriend. His girlfriends would often touch on the subject of his behavior, however he never sought professional assistance and never spoke of the terms OCD or anxiety disorder. Therefore, the only portrayed history of
