As the exposure of panic attacks has grown in recent years, most people now understand that it is not a condition reserved for the deranged or psychotic. Rather, it is a common disorder that affects over four million Americans. Helping to change the perception of panic attacks are a number of celebrities who have been open about their struggle with this condition. Here are some well-known people who have shared their experiences with anxiety and panic disorder.
Nicole Kidman has admitted to suffering panic attacks in red carpet situations. Kidman explained her fears in a 2002 interview with Vogue magazine, “I panic in front of all the cameras. My hands start shaking and I have trouble breathing. Tom would always whisper to me that everything was all right.”
Willard Scott, former weather reporter for the Today Show, battled panic attacks while he prepared to go live with his weather reports. Scott experienced his first panic attack two years after he joined the show. “It was seconds before I was about to go on the air to give the weather. “The director was counting down… five,four,three… and with each second, I was sweating profusely, I couldn’t breathe, my mind was befuddled. The people in the studio called a doctor because they thought I was having a heart attack.”
Kim Basinger has always been open about her panic attacks, sharing her experiences in dozens of interviews. Her first episode actually scared her into being homebound for several months. She eventually forced herself to get out through sheer determination. She later sought therapy after continuing to experience panic attacks.
Food Network Star Paula Dean was also a prisoner of her own home due to struggles with agoraphobia and panic attacks. Her condition arose in her twenties, shortly after the death of her parents and birth of her two sons. She has since overcome her anxieties to flourish in her current role as one of America’s best known cooking celebrities.
Embattled football player Ricky Williams has endured a well-publicized battle with social anxiety disorder that is compounded by his celebrity appeal. At one time he endorsed his success with the drug Paxil. Ricky continues to overcome his anxieties, but his off-the-field problems have since lead to his suspension from the NFL.
Perhaps the most famous victim of panic disorder is Sigmund Freud. Ironically enough, Freud’s condition formed the basis of his most popular works on internal conflict and anxiety neurosis. Frustrated with the lack diagnosis for the condition, Freud dedicated himself to research in the field of anxiety. His findings have since become the foundation for most of the anxiety studies carried out in the past century.
Of course this list is only a small sample of the thousands of celebrities whose lives have been affected by panic attacks. But this handful of examples should serve as inspiration for the millions of others who are trying to control their panic disorder.
There are proven strategies to overcome panic attacks, but yet many still hide in the fear and embarrassment of their condition. While it can be an overwhelming for sufferers to tackle the same fears that have held them hostage for years, the sooner they begin treatment, the sooner they will overcome their panic attacks.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Kathy // Dec 5, 2007 at 1:36 am
Hello, My name is Kathy I am 44yrs old with two children A son who is 19yrs old and a daughter who is 13 yrs old I have beeen suffering with panic disorder for over 10 years All the abnti depressents have not worked for me. The only comfor I do find is when i see my pysciatrist. I am not able to see her as often as I would like. It is very costly, but I know in my heart that if was was able to afford to see her three times per week I can get better. I am looking for some help. Her charge is $250 per a 45 minute session. Please help me. I do find the cognitive therapy to be extremely helpful. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
2 Kathy // Dec 5, 2007 at 1:38 am
Sorry for the spelling errors. I did not read it over before I sent it.
3 admin // Dec 5, 2007 at 2:07 am
Hi Kathy-
Sorry to hear that you don’t have access to all of the treatment you desire. Perhaps your doctor can provide you with some therapy exercises that you can work on at home. The key is to make sure you are doing something everyday to treat your condition.
As you can tell from our site, we highly recommend trying the panic away method. At less than $70 and with a money-back guarantee, it may be the solution you are looking for. It is certainly more affordable than the $250 an hour you are currently paying.
Best of Luck!
4 christina nevada // Mar 3, 2009 at 5:38 am
Your Friend the Panic Attacks
by Christina Nevada
Not only can I tell you how to survive panic attacks
I can tell you how to stop them
Having suffered panic disorder for over a decade
I know a lot of things that help
And a lot of things that bring them on
But only one thing that can stop them
The one common denominator in all
Is you
For it is you who brings them on
And you who ends them
Nobody has the power to do this
except you
The biggest thing that brings them on
Is fear
So many things can trigger them
So we curb chocolate, caffeine and nicotine
Learned positive thought replacement
To exchange the dark thoughts for loving thoughts
To focus on the positive
We stop the future hypothetical negatives like the “what if’s”
And the overly-reflective negatives in the “I should have’s”
Embraced healthy boundaries in relationships
So that chronic abuse ends
And learned to rest
To encourage ourselves in our thought life
And to under react
To understand that if we feel we cannot breathe
It is only because we are merely forgetting to exhale
And so we count our slow exhales
But still we are plagued by panic
So we still feared them
And they came
Again and again
year after year
Crippling us in our social lives
and in our thought lives
The drugs
Our only true physical defense
From the terrors of the panic
So we thought
Never quite realizing the power of our own mind
The true trigger
And the true cure
The stronger our minds
The harder the panic hits
And the Bible says
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind
And that the truth will set you free
To let our minds dwell on whatever is lovely
And worthy of praise
The key you ask?
What is the key in ending panic attacks
It is not wise to indefinitely end them
To make friends with them I heard once long, long ago
Is the best way to end their disorder
But how can you love what terrorizes you?
This is how
Panic attacks were given to protect you
Not to harm you
What God gave to protect you cannot harm you
This is why no one has ever died of a panic attack
Panic attacks come to rescue you
They come to help you
To give you strength
To help you fight an enemy
They are not your enemy
They are your friend
They are your most faithful friend
For it is they who come to you
Every time you are afraid
Even if you are alone
They come even without you asking
For they understood your fear
And believed you called them
For without knowing
In your fear
You called them
And when you are afraid
They always come
Because they come to help you
they come to rescue you
and to give you strength
your blood they gather
from your hands and feet
though it makes them feel a little cold
to bring to your torso
to save your vital organs
and from your head, too
making you feel lightheaded
to help alleviate mental stress
and all that rushes into your torso
to save your life
this physical phenomenon
though it makes you tremble
and feel sick to your stomach
in both directions
it is to save your life
it cannot harm you
for thousands upon thousands of years
it is your savior
your rescuer
Whatever you focus on will grow
If you focus on the fear
The fear will grow
If you focus on the symptoms
The symptoms will grow
Focus on the fact that they help you
Learn to accept the truth about them
That they are your faithful friend
They are your strength in time of need
Learn to appreciate them
And to love them
And to welcome them
For this is the truth
They are your friend
And when you need them
And you feel them coming
With great excitement
Greet them
And say come !!!
Come because you are my help
Come because you are here to rescue me
And to protect me
And have confidence in the strength they will give you
In ever a time of need
And when you find that they have come too quickly
It is because you called them
They hunt you not
It is you they serve
You they wish to protect
They love you
And they listen to you
Far more than you have learned to listen to yourself
They came because they want to protect you
So gently
With love and thankfulness
Say with smiles in your heart
Thank you for coming my beloved friend
To help me
But I’m okay
I assure you my dear protector
That I need you not right now
And I laugh at how much you love me
And I love you for thinking of me
And for caring about me
And for being there for me
But I’m okay
And they will understand
That you do not need them right now
And they will go away
Because it was the fear that called them
And because you will no longer fear them
The fear will fade
The fear you felt
They could not understand
Was fear of them
Because they are part of you
Because you are the master
And they are your devoted slave
They did not understand
That it was they you feared
But that fear they felt
Like fuel to their fire
They felt your fear
And they came strong like an army
To help you fight
They did not understand
They could not understand
That the fear was of them
So this be the lesson
Fear not
But when fear comes
Fear not your helper
These the panic attacks
For they are your deliverer
Your rescuer
They came only to help you
And when you learn they are friend
Not foe
They will not come again
Until you call them
knowingly
Because they came
Only to help you
When you were afraid
This because
they love you
and so love them, too
and when the fire runs through your body
as their army rushes in and through your veins
feel their warmth as loving hugs
as warm embraces from your friend
5 musa pr // Mar 11, 2009 at 9:27 am
I am 22, i´ve been having panic attacks over a year now. I did´nt recognize any of these symptoms so they did not happen often and they werent that strong. One time i thought i was having a heart attack and later came to the conclusion that i had a panic disorder. Istarted having numerous panic attacks everyday, like 5-10 a day, and very strong. Eerytime it feels like im dying. I don’t like the idea of coping cuz im not supposed to have these i the first place. So what helps me is reading (cognitive treatment), currently i am dealing w a hypnotherapist to get to the root of this, i just want to understand why did they start. but when it comes to a treatment perse… i dont think anybody knows you better than yourself, plus, you don’t need any extra worries about the drugs that they may give you and those side effects. the most important thing is to know that you’re not gonna die and you’re not going crazy.
yeah that book “Panic Away” by joe barry is really good, it makes you feel really confident about all this.
have a nice one
musa
6 musa pr // Mar 11, 2009 at 9:29 am
i am takin st. john’s wort, for relaxation purposes, do you recommend anything else?
7 nancy // Mar 14, 2009 at 1:46 am
christina - that was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!
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