The 22 Celebrities Who Opened Up About Anxiety Attacks

A panic attack can strike celebrities in the same way that they can debilitate us. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), 40 million American adults have been diagnosed with anxiety and panic disorders. Here are 22 celebrities who have not only experienced panic attacks and anxiety but have bravely spoken about their experiences. Their hope is that the millions who are affected by this disorder can get the help that they desperately need.

MORE: Inside The Rock's secret battle with depression. 

MORE: Celebrities who have been in rehab or recovery.

These 22 celebrities who have spoken up about their panic offer priceless insight into what brought it on, how it felt and, most importantly, what tools they have learned to go from anxious to calm. Take a deep breath and prepare to join Oscar winner Emma Stone, Grammy winner Ariana Grande and reality stars like Kendall Jenner, as they open up and share the details of their panic attacks.

“The first time I had a panic attack … I thought the house was burning down,” she told The Wall Street Journal. This was all before Stone took up acting. She was seven. One could argue that acting has provided her with an outlet for fending off anxiety and panic. “It was really bad,” she said. “The first time I had a panic attack I was sitting in my friend’s house. I called my mom and she brought me home, and for the next three years it just would not stop. I would go to the nurse at lunch most days and just wring my hands. I would ask my mom to tell me exactly how the day was going to be, then ask again 30 seconds later. I just needed to know that no one was going to die, and nothing was going to change.” She told RadarOnline.com Online how acting has helped her to keep them under control. Medication and therapy have also helped. She firmly believes that anxiety “is something that is part of me but it’s not who I am.”  

Actress Amanda Seyfried has admitted that she sees a therapist to address her anxiety and panic disorders. She was quoted by Us Weekly  as saying, “I still do get terribly nervous, and that's partly due to the fact I think too much and overanalyze things. I'll start worrying about my parents or my dog, and I'll picture him opening the window of my apartment and falling out, even though I can't get that thing open myself." In that same Us article, the Mamma Mia actress bravely admitted that she is on Lexapro and that she will likely “never get off it.” “You don’t see the mental illness. It’s not a mass. It’s not a cyst. But it’s there. If you can treat it, you treat it,” she said.

Since Selma Blair was diagnosed with MS, two of her unforeseen complications were panic attacks and anxiety. Multiple Sclerosis impacts her ability to speak and walk. Therefore, going out in public and engaging in social situations always creates the opportunity to spark emotional stress. “It is a stadium of uncontrollable anxiety at times. Being sociable holds a heavy price. My brain is on fire,” she said in an Instagram caption on her social media page. Inspirationally, she still heads out because the Cruel Intentions star believes that her celebrity has given her a platform for bringing priceless awareness to MS ... and anxiety disorders.

Actress Gabrielle Union was a victim of sexual assault as a teen and was diagnosed with PTSD at the age of 19. When she wrote a book detailing the tougher moments (and happier ones) of her life, it struck a chord with countless people who sought her out on her promotional tour. That proved to be a trigger for sparking old emotional wounds that were still raw. “I didn’t realize how big the need was for so many people to just get it out, to have someone look them in the eye and say, ‘I believe you.’ I cried a lot. I Skyped a lot with my life coach, because the horrors that I was taking in triggered my PTSD,” she told Redbook in 2018. Union has firmly embraced that facet of being a literal open book since it clearly has given countless fans a lifeline of hope. “I feel a responsibility to offer that sense of safety and support.”

Singer John Mayer, currently flying solo as a singer and touring with Dead & Company, admitted to past panic attacks in an interview with Rolling Stone. "Growing up, that was the big fear," he said. His longtime friend Joe Beleznay added, "I would get anxiety attacks too, and we would talk each other down. It was heart palpitations, shortness of breath, coldness and shivers, strange stuff, and we'd be like, 'You're totally fine. You're not having a heart attack.' His mind works at such speed that I think he would sort of second-guess his sanity at times.”

One can completely understand the psychological impact that singer Grande went through in the aftermath of that terrorist bombing during her Manchester, England concert in May of 2017. “When I got home from tour, I had really wild dizzy spells, this feeling like I couldn’t breathe. I would be in a good mood, fine and happy, and they would hit me out of nowhere. I’ve always had anxiety, but it had never been physical before,” Grande told Elle. The “Thank You, Next” singer admitted that she has not been the same since. “There were a couple of months straight where I felt so upside down.” Pete Davidson’s ex has been in therapy for a decade, she admitted, and it has been integral to keeping those panic attacks at bay. Still, Grande has had to cancel a Meet and Greet and declares that her “depression and anxiety are at an all-time high,” she said in Us Weekly.

The night before Missy Elliot was set to make a cameo appearance during the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2015, the trailblazing rapper suffered a panic attack. It was so serious that she went to the hospital! “Like, IVs in my arm, everything,” she told Billboard. Although not something she normally experiences, it was frightening enough that the “The Rain” singer has spoken openly about it so others may seek the help they need.

When it comes to anxiety attacks and panic setting in, Girls creator and star Lena Dunham has been an open book. She has routinely talked about the distress with the hope that her admission will inspire others to seek help. "I thought, in two and a half years I'll be 30, then 10 years from that I'll be 40, then 10 years from that I'll be 50," she recalled of a recent panic attack in The Guardian. "It's why I don't sleep at night." She even took to her Instagram account and stated that, “To those struggling with anxiety, OCD, depression: I know it's mad annoying when people tell you to exercise, and it took me about 16 medicated years to listen. I'm glad I did. It ain't about the ass, it's about the brain.” Thankfully, Dunham had enough self-awareness to realize when she was abusing her anxiety meds, as reported in RadarOnline.com Online. She has since found a solution without medication.

Actress Lili Reinhart scored the role of a lifetime when she was cast as Betty on the CW’s Riverdale. Her history prior to that part of her life was littered with panic attacks, which usually stemmed from countless auditions that never resulted in roles. Even when she did ace an audition, those pesky panic attacks would limit her ability to do the work. “My anxiety was so bad that I had to keep quitting jobs because I physically could not work,” she was quoted as saying to Us Weekly. After several of these panic attacks and no hope of them stopping, the actress sought help and it has been priceless.

Former TRL host and current emcee of The Voice, Carson Daly has suffered from panic attacks — even having one as he was about to go on the air! “I had a hard time breathing. I was terrified for no apparent reason,” he told TODAY.com of the pre-TRL panic attack. Over time, he learned that it was not only high pressure situations that can spur them. He had even been with his kids and wife when they struck. “I’ve had heightened anxiety and mild panic attacks at the playground with my own children and wife there. The feeling was so gripping and so terrifying that literally I had to leave and excuse myself. I felt like I was dying,” he was quoted in Us Weekly. Therapy has helped and, most importantly, has given him the tools to identify when they are coming on and how to deal with them.

For the former Bruce Jenner — now known as Caitlyn Jenner — it was during her facial feminization surgery that panic struck her, and it was devastating. A counselor was on hand and helped the athletic legend and reality TV star through it by telling her that it was normal. "What did I just do? What did I just do to myself?” Jenner recalled (in Us Weekly) saying after the surgery, before a counselor came to tell her such reactions were "human and temporary."

The thing about panic attacks is that those who suffer from them have admitted that one never knows when they’ll strike. For example, Jennifer Lopez is continually in the public eye and experiencing situations where her nerves are understandably charged. For her, a panic attack struck when she realized that her marriage to Marc Anthony was over. The panic attack reared its ugly head during a photo shoot. “As I sat there getting made up, my heart was beating out of my chest and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I became consumed with anxiety,” Lopez admitted on the pages of her memoir, True Love. Lopez realized that if a relationship was causing a physical reaction to mental stress, it needed to end.

Panic attacks can strike anyone, even a Kardashian-Jenner. Supermodel Jenner has had them hit her in the middle of the night when the only thing humming is her brain. Sadly, Jenner stated that her panic attacks were sparked by social media negativity that had been firmly aimed at her. They say having a thick skin makes life easier for celebrities, but Jenner reminds us that that can only work for so long. “I felt my heart beating a million miles an hour, and I even went a little numb,” she wrote on her website about the panic attacks. If you recall on an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians back in 2016, mom Kris Jenner flew to London to help her daughter, who was having awful panic attacks, per Us Weekly. The model found solace in breathing techniques that she discovered online.

The most decorated swimmer in U.S. Olympic history, Michael Phelps, has taken to the airwaves and bravely spoken about his mental issues in commercials for the online therapy app Talkspace. “Throughout my career, I struggled with depression and anxiety at various times, and I found it so difficult to get the help I needed,” he said in a statement released via his partnership with Talkspace. “As I started opening up and talking about my issues, I felt strength, not vulnerability.”

The UK singer behind the hit “Lights” reported having panic attacks and described what she felt in detail to Metro UK. "One day after a shoot I was on a train going to a funeral and my heart was pounding. I thought I was having a heart attack," she said of her first episode, adding, "I was so scared I reached over to this woman and said, 'I think I’m dying.' I called a friend to take me to hospital, where they told me it was just a panic attack. From that day, I kept having them,” Ellie Goulding said. She was quoted in Us Weekly saying, “The scariest part was it could be triggered by anything. My new life as a pop star certainly wasn’t as glamorous as all my friends from home thought. Secretly, I was really struggling physically and emotionally.”

When Hugh Grant stepped away from acting for five years, it was to get a handle on his panic attacks. They would strike him on the jon. Suddenly, forgetting his lines would send him into a psychologically-triggered spiral. “At one stage I was asking directors not to say ‘action’ because I found that the word sent me into paroxysms of terror,” he told Entertainment Weekly. The actor wondered if he would ever be able to return to acting. “In recent years I’ve had really bad attacks where I totally froze up,” Grant was quoted by OK! “I thought, ‘Well, if I am going to get stage fright, then I am packing it in.’”

The singer and actress has been no stranger to challenging issues ... from her physical health to her mental well-being. In the past, performing had brought on panic attacks. Selena Gomez told Vogue in 2017 that, “My self-esteem was shot. I was depressed, anxious. I started to have panic attacks right before getting onstage, or right after leaving the stage.” Recall that kidney transplant she went through in 2018, thanks to her lupus? Right after the operation, Gomez reported having another panic attack. She had to do something. "I've discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges. I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off,” she was quoted by OK! The Bad Liar singer turned to dialectical behavior therapy, which Gomez said “completely changed her life. It was one of the hardest things I’ve done, but it was the best thing I’ve done.”

One of the ways that the Royal Family has helped the global audience that follows their follies is through de-stigmatizing mental disorders. Leading the charge on that front is Prince Harry. The youngest son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana had been open about the panic attacks he suffered in the years following his mother’s death, as revealed by RadarOnline.com Online. “In my case, every single time I was in any room with loads of people, which is quite often, I was just pouring with sweat, my heart beating — boom, boom, boom, boom — literally, just like a washing machine,” he said in an interview quoted in The Daily Beast. It was during the heat of battle in Afghanistan that the royal realized he needed to get professional help, and his panic attacks have been under control since.

Political firebrand and host of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert has made countless people laugh over the years — dating back to his tenure on Comedy Central. “I had a bit of a nervous breakdown after I got married — kind of panic attacks,” he was quoted by Us Weekly. “My wife would go off to work and she’d come home — because I worked at night — and I’d be walking around the couch. She’s like, ‘How was your day?’ And I’d say, ‘You’re looking at it.’ Just tight circles around the couch.” Colbert revealed that it was medication that has been an enormous help in keeping those psychological troubles at bay in the years since.

One of the greatest singers of her generation, Adele, had vicious panic attacks, which made getting on stage to perform a supreme challenge. “I have anxiety attacks, constant panicking on stage, my heart feels like it’s going to explode because I never feel like I’m going to deliver, ever,” the “Hello” singer reported to Stylist UK. She found inspiration to get over these attacks from fellow singer Beyoncé. “What would Sasha Fierce do?” she asked, referring to the “Crazy in Love” singer’s alter-ego. It’s worked as she has now completed several world tours and performed for millions.

Sarah Silverman, one of the most prominent comedians working today, suffered from her share of panic attacks. For her, they stem from her lifelong battle with depression. “I couldn’t deal with being with my friends. I didn’t go to school for months, and I started having panic attacks,” Silverman was quoted by Us Weekly. “Every breath is labored. You are dying. You are going to die. It’s terrifying.” They continued into her adult years and yes, even while enjoying her ascent to global fame. “People use 'panic attack' very casually out here in Los Angeles, but I don’t think most of them really know what it is.” Help for Silverman arrived in the form of medication and regular visits with a therapist.