Miley Cyrus has been performing since practically forever, but she recently felt a panic attack coming on onstage. So she talked to the audience about it.
Miley, 28, reportedly took a long pause between songs at Milwaukee's SummerFest on September 18 and told her drummer and musical director that she thought she was having a panic attack.
Miley-Cyrus-Panic-Attack-on-Stage-GettyImages-1204740232 . "No matter how many life difficulties come your way, you battle through it. It's The Climb," another said.
Miley posted photos from the concert on social media, but didn't mention the panic attack.
Panic attacks can be a symptom of panic disorder, a condition that causes anxiety and is considered an anxiety disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). People with panic disorder have sudden and repeated attacks of fear called panic attacks that last for several minutes or longer, Health previously reported.
RELATED: 12 Anxiety Symptoms That Might Point to a Disorder
Panic attacks can happen at any time, and they can cause a strong physical reaction that can feel like a heart attack. Signs of panic disorder include:
- Sudden and repeated panic attacks of overwhelming anxiety and fear
- A feeling of being out of control, or a fear of death or impending doom
- Physical symptoms like a racing heart, sweating, chills, trembling, breathing problems, weakness or dizziness, tingly or numb hands, chest pain, stomach pain, and nausea
- An intense worry about when the next panic attack will happen
- A fear or avoidance of places where panic attacks have occurred in the past
While panic disorder is scary, it's usually treated with psychotherapy, medication, or both. With psychotherapy, a patient learns different ways of thinking, behaving, and reacting to the feelings that come on with a panic attack and ultimately learn to reduce the fear and anxiety that surrounds them.
Miley has always been outspoken about her mental health. On Variety's The Big Ticket podcast in June 2020, she said that she got sober after having surgery on her vocal cords—and it was partly inspired by her family history with mental health. "I've been sober sober for the past six months,'' she said. "At the beginning, it was just about this vocal surgery. … But I had been thinking a lot about my mother. My mom was adopted, and I inherited some of the feelings she had, the abandonment feelings and wanting to prove that you're wanted and valuable."
RELATED: What Is Panic Disorder—And How Do You Know if You Have It?
Miley also said that she looked a lot at her family history "which has a lot of addiction and mental health challenges."
"So just going through that and asking, 'Why am I the way that I am?'" she said. "By understanding the past, we understand the present and the future much more clearly. I think therapy is great."
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