Celebrities who are vocal about their panic attacks

Based on 2007 data from National Comorbidity SurveyApproximately 3% of people in the United States suffer from panic disorder. One of the characteristic side effects of panic disorders is panic attacks, which some of Hollywood’s biggest and most famous stars have experienced.

When a panic attack occurs, it usually gives little warning and is accompanied by very unpleasant physical sensations. So, What do you feel when you have a panic attack?? From a racing heart to severe nausea, the symptoms often mimic some of the hallmark signs of a heart attack. Given these facts, it’s no wonder that people who suffer from panic attacks always feel anxious when the next one occurs.

Some celebrities have been vocal about their struggles with panic attacks, sharing their personal stories in interviews. By talking about their experiences with panic attacks, these stars illustrate just how common panic disorders are. At the same time, they also help shed light on the diagnosis and treatment of panic disorders.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, please contact Crisis text line By texting HOME to 741741, call the number National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit National Institute of Mental Health website.

In 2026 diverse In the interview, actress Léa Seydoux admitted that her first panic attacks began when she was eighteen years old and continued throughout her life. “I remember having a panic attack: I saw myself in the mirror, and I said: This is me,” she described. Sidhu even admitted it Identification card She thought she was “afraid of death” when she was younger, perhaps because of her high levels of anxiety.

Sidhu has not discussed whether or not she is receiving treatment for her panic attacks. However, it has been reported to toronto.com She took Xanax to relieve her fear of flying. Xanax is often prescribed to treat the physical and psychological responses associated with anxiety.

Although comedian and commentator Stephen Colbert may be known for his wit, he is one of many Celebrities who deal with anxiety disorders. His panic attacks were not fun or funny. In 2018 Rolling Stone In the interview, Colbert admitted, “I had a nervous breakdown after I got married — kind of a panic attack.” He described days filled with walking in circles around his living room furniture. Colbert tried Xanax for a few days, but eventually found he could ease his panic attacks by performing. “Creating something is what helped me spin away like an unbalanced flywheel,” he noted.

When singer Adele went through a divorce, she told Oprah that she started having “the most terrifying anxiety attacks” that left her confused and disoriented (via protection). In describing the panic attacks she felt, she noted that it seemed as if she was on a different planet.

To reduce her panic attacks, she began exercising frequently. (Payment Adele’s amazing weight loss transformation.) “I didn’t have any anxiety when I was out in the gym,” she said. Study 2026 in Frontiers in psychiatry found that 12 weeks of regular exercise reduced the number and severity of anxiety attacks in adults.

TV presenter Carson Daly has opened up about his panic attacks in support of World Mental Health Day in 2023. nbcDaly’s first panic attack occurred in the dressing room: “My heart started racing and fear ran through my body.” Next, Daly spoke with a doctor, who diagnosed him with anxiety.

in Instagram video, Daly went into graphic detail about how he dealt with the moment of panic while on air. “Fight or flight begins,” he said. “The threat is real, but there’s nothing there. I have to ride this wave on live TV.”

Years ago, singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding had panic attacks that were so severe that she had trouble leaving the house, according to a 2016 Flare interview (via Time magazine). “My surroundings would trigger a panic attack, so I couldn’t get into the studio unless I was lying in the car with a pillow over my face,” Goulding explained.

Although Goulding initially believed it was her fault for not being able to overcome panic attacks on her own, she eventually sought professional help. The singer turned to cognitive behavioral therapy, a popular psychological treatment for panic disorder. She is also said to use exercise as another means of coping (trans the people).

A successful acting career couldn’t prevent Hugh Grant from having anxiety attacks. “I had these ridiculous stage fright attacks,” he said. Hollywood Reporter In 2016. “They would hit me in the middle of the movie and only continue into the morning or something, but it was devastating.”

To deal with the matter, Grant decided to stop acting. Years later, he was asked to star in a movie that he couldn’t resist, so he began a routine to ward off attacks: “Day after day, you know, ‘I better go for a run this morning and ‘I better take these herbal tranquilizers now,'” he recalls, describing his regimen as a “hassle” that was worth it in the end.

When actress Emma Stone was seven years old, she had a panic attack while at a friend’s house. “I felt such a deep feeling when I found out the house was on fire…despite all the evidence to the contrary,” she shared (via ). NPR). She then experienced classic anxiety attack symptoms, including chest tightness and generalized fear.

After the accident, she stopped wanting to go out until she received treatment. Speaking to the Child Mind Institute, Stone admitted that before her acting career, “there weren’t a lot of actors who talked about having panic attacks” (via E! connected). Nowadays, her outlook has changed: “If you don’t let[anxiety]paralyze you and use it for something productive, it’s a superpower” (via ABC News).