‘I thought I was going to die,’ says Peter Andre as he details horrific battle with panic attacks
PETER Andre has bravely opened up about his horrific battle with panic attacks.
The Mysterious Girl singer, 51, spoke out as part of an Instagram post with the free mental health search engine JAAQ.
Speaking straight to the camera, Peter described his own experiences to help ease others and comfort them in knowing they will be ok.
Peter said: “You literally think you’re going to die.
“A panic attack, the way I describe it was thinking I’m going to die.
“Your heart’s beating fast and your palms get kind fo sweaty and you get this brain fog.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen and you think you can’t get out of this.
“No one will understand..
“Please call an ambulance
“You think everyone around you is going to think you’re crazy.
“This is a very normal way to feel.
“What I will tell you is that you’re not crazy and nothing is actually going to happen to you.
“That’s the hardest thing to believe at this point.”
According to the NHS, a panic disorder is “an anxiety disorder where you regularly have sudden attacks of panic or fear”.
There are different symptoms, including anxiety and panic attacks.
Peter has been very honest about his mental health over the years.
Signs of a panic attack
Dr Jenn Cooper, lecturer in counselling psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University said that during a panic attack you will likely notice some common physical sensations.
These include racing or pounding heart, feeling sick or having an upset stomach, sweating or feeling hot, shaking, hyperventilating and feeling faint.
She added that some people may also experience intrusive thoughts.
Back in 2018 he spoke out with Heat to promote the publication’s Where’s Your Head At? mental health campaign.
The star went to speak to someone who specialised in anxiety and panic attacks.
He added: “Once I started to understand what the problem was and the panic attacks were so regular – everyday – for years, I started to want to talk about it because it was the only way I could get better… It was the best thing I ever did.”
As well as having therapy, Pete also revealed he’s found medication a big help in controlling his panic attacks.
However he stressed that it isn’t a quick fix and both options need to be embraced to fully deal with the problem.
He said: “Medication doesn’t solve the problem. What medication does, is put you in a frame of mind to be able to deal with the problem.
“So if you just took the medication, which I’ve done before, I felt great all of a sudden, I felt normal, didn’t think I needed therapy.
“The problem is that all you’ve done is sweep the problem under the carpet. The minute you stop that medication, because you’re like, “I don’t need this anymore,” it comes back with a vengeance…
“Once you get the therapy to deal with the issue actually is, all of a sudden you start to solve the problem.”
In 2019 Peter admitted he was hospitalised after suffering a mental health breakdown at the peak of his career – saying he battled crippling anxiety for TEN years.
Symptoms of anxiety
According to Anxiety UK, the signs of anxiety can be divided into physical and psychological symptoms.
You may not experience all of them, but physical symptoms include:
- Racing heartbeat
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness
- Dry mouth
- Butterflies in stomach
- Nausea
- Urge to pass urine/empty bowels
- Tremor
- Sweating
- Pins and needles
Meanwhile, the psychological symptoms include:
- Inner tension
- Agitation
- Fear of losing control
- Dread that something catastrophic is going to happen (such as blackout, seizure, heart attack or death)
- Irritability
- Feelings of detachment
The symptoms of panic attacks can feel similar to a heart attack – as they often involve rapid breathing, chest pains and pins and needles.