Carolyn Humphrey of Modesto, California, would often wash and brush her hair in a repetitive ritual for hours at a time if it "didn't feel right," and would also pull out and examine strands of hair because she felt something crawling on her scalp. Not surprisingly, this problem would often cause her to get to work very late, at the hospital where she worked as a medical transcriptionist.

For six years after the onset of her mental problems, the hospital offered her a flexible schedule that allowed her to start work any time of the day, but she was finally fired five months after she was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder. She sued the hospital in 1996, alleging they violated her rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In February, an appeals court overruled a federal judge who issued a judgement in favor of the hospital.

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