How Elizabeth Olsen coped with frequent panic attacks in her 20s

How Elizabeth Olsen coped with frequent panic attacks in her 20s

Elizabeth Olsen opened up about dealing with panic attacks in her early 20s in a recent interview with Variety.

While discussing the children's book she and her husband, musician Robbie Arnett, wrote about overcoming worry, Olsen revealed that she "didn't understand what anxiety or panic attacks were" until she was 21, according to the magazine.

At that age, the actress began experiencing panic attacks, which typically present as short periods of extreme distress, anxiety or fear coupled with physical and emotional symptoms, according to the Merck Handbook. “I remember getting them every hour on the hour,” she said. "I was crossing 6th Avenue at 14th Street and I realized I couldn't cross the street - I was standing against the wall and just thought I was going to drop dead at any moment," Olsen later described this as "weird" because she wasn't afraid as a child. “I was very loud and confident,” she told Variety.

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However, something changed as she grew up. "When I went from cold to hot, hot to cold, full to hungry, hungry to full - any kind of change in my body, my whole body was like, 'Uh oh, something's wrong!'" she continued. She felt like she was “spiraling” and visited an ENT doctor who thought her problem was related to dizziness.

“During a panic attack, the body goes into fight-or-flight mode and prepares to fight or flee,” Melissa Horowitz, Psy.D., director of clinical training at the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, told Shape. “But the reality is there is no real danger.”

It wasn't until Olsen sought help from a mental health specialist that she found relief. She learned “brain games” that allowed her to stay in the present moment. "When I walked down the street, I would simply start naming everything I saw out loud to free myself from the spiraling thoughts in my brain," she explained, noting that the practice was similar to the acting exercises she was familiar with. “This was a helpful tool.”

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Although she was afraid to take medication for her panic attacks, Olsen kept medication on hand in case of emergencies. “Just having that in my bag felt good,” she said.

The Marvel actress is not alone with her experiences. At least 11 percent of American adults experience a panic attack each year, reports the Merck Manual. Additionally, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, about five percent of adults in the United States may suffer from panic disorder, an anxiety disorder that involves repeated episodes of intense fear. Still, you don't have to be diagnosed with panic disorder to have panic attacks, and if you think you're having panic attacks, you can talk to a psychiatrist for help.

Although mental health issues are still often stigmatized and difficult to discuss, statistics (and sometimes celebrities) make it clear that they are more common than you might think.