15 Celebrities Who Suffer From Anxiety
Anxiety and anxiety disorders are more common than most people think. In fact, it’s not just everyday people that suffer from this type of disorder; celebrities, CEOs and other famous faces also suffer from the problems caused by anxiety, such as stress and panic attacks. You might be surprised just how many celebrity figures have issues with anxiety, which can range anywhere from social anxiety to stress disorders and anything else on the spectrum. Anxiety does not discriminate against race, color, religion or occupation. Read on to find out which 15 celebrities suffer from the same types of anxiety disorders as others.
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George Michael
George Michael’s anxiety is fairly new. The singer developed a severe case of pneumonia in 2011 that caused him to almost lose his life. After having suffered from this illness and bouncing back, he later cancelled a tour because of what he described as severe anxiety that appeared in his life as a result of his near death experience the year before. The singer decided to seek treatment for his disorder, because his type of anxiety can have debilitating effects on his life, job and even his personal relationships with those he loves.
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Leann Rimes
Leann Rimes suffers from generalized anxiety disorder. She’s been in the public eye since a very young age, she married young, had an affair with a movie costar, left her husband and married her costar, who also left his wife and young children. She’s constantly in the media for her questionable decisions, so it only makes sense she wouldn’t escape this unscathed. She went into rehab to deal with her extreme stress and anxiety in 2012 and has issued a statement that concludes she needs to find ways to manage her exceptional anxiety and stress.
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Kim Basinger
Stress and anxiety are often the cause of severe panic attacks, but for Kim Basinger, her first panic attack came in the middle of nothing particularly special except for a trip the supermarket. She was in the middle of the supermarket when she suffered a panic attack so severe it caused her to go into a downward spiral in life, experiencing more frequent panic attacks and other health issues. Her attacks were so bad, and her anxiety so severe that Basinger developed a fear of people and public and suffered from a severe form of depression.
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Kate Moss
In her youth, Kate Moss suffered more severely from panic disorder than she does today. She was – and is – one of the most famous supermodels in the world, and the pressure of her career was something that caused her severe anxiety. She was often required to pose in provocative positions with both men and women, and she’s been outspoken about the fact that this was something that made her very uncomfortable in her younger years. She’s since learned to cope a little better and falls victim less often, but she still suffers from the disorder that causes her panic attacks.
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Johnny Depp
Our favorite pirate suffers from a very severe form of anxiety called panic disorder. Johnny Depp is unfortunate enough to have a form of disorder that is terrifying to everyone, not just Depp himself. This kind of anxiety disorder is not as manageable as some of the other forms of anxiety other celebrities live with. This type of anxiety is not predictable. A panic attack can happen at any time and it can be terrifying for the person who is suffering the attack and those who are witnessing the attack. There is often nothing that can be done in the moment.
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Emma Stone
She’s one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood today, but that doesn’t make a difference in Emma Stone’s anxiety disorder. She suffers from the same type of panic attacks as both Kate Moss and Johnny Depp. They were much worse when she was younger, though they do still occasionally plague her. When she was a child, her anxiety and panic attacks were so severe that Stone suffered from agoraphobia, the fear of being in public and around other people. She’s learned some coping mechanisms that help more now, but she still suffers.
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David Beckham
He’s married to Posh Spice and he’s the most famous soccer player in the world. Despite being so famous, so handsome and so wealthy, he suffers from a form of anxiety known as obsessive compulsive disorder. While his obsessive compulsive anxiety is not as bad as that of other people, Beckham is famous for his need of even numbers. He has a problem dealing with anything other than pairs. He has to have even numbers of everything, and they must be in pairs. He will throw things away, no matter how expensive or valuable, if they create an odd number or don’t have the correct pair.
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Fred Durst
He was once the lead singer of a band call Limp Bizkit, and the man who made his music so that it spoke of other people. He suffers from a form of anxiety that causes obsessive compulsive disorder. While he’s been open with his anxiety and his struggles throughout the years, he never goes into detail about the type of obsessive compulsive disorder from which he struggles. He’s talked many times, however ,of how he’s turned to mental health professionals, books and programs that are designed to help him overcome his anxiety and his OCD. Whether or not it has helped him remains a mystery.
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Adele
Adele has one of the most beautiful, soulful voices in the world, and she shows it off regularly. Despite having taken a break from her singing career to give birth and be a mother for a while, Adele is still one of the most famous singers of our time. She suffers from severe anxiety, however. She’s said many times that her stage fright is so bad that she often suffers from panic attacks thinking about performing. She also suffers from social anxiety disorder because she is so uncomfortable being around people, especially those that are not close to her.
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Nicole Kidman
She’s a beautiful actress with a very successful career, but Nicole Kidman suffers panic attacks in situations in which she feels pressured and out of control. It happens to her often as she begins filming a new movie, and sometimes she suffers from insomnia. She’s said that her bodyguards are required to ensure she has a specific amount of space around her when she’s in public so that she doesn’t become overwhelmed and suffer a public panic attack from her social anxiety disorder. The star has been very outspoken about her anxiety in her years in the public eye.
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Howie Mandel
Everyone knows that the comedian suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder. This disorder is often the cause of severe anxiety, as it is in Mandel’s situation. His anxiety caused him to become a germaphobe, or a person so scared of germs that he cannot touch other people and many items in the world. He washes his hands frequently, does not touch other people, and he even shaves his head because it makes him feel he is cleaner than he is with hair. This disorder is linked to anxiety, and is likely caused by the job he has.
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Michael Jackson
The King of Pop suffered a lot of anxiety in his life. His disorder stems from his childhood, growing up in a home with controlling parents, being in the limelight for nearly his entire life, and the relationship he had with the public that bordered on extreme love and complete hatred. This caused the star to suffer anxiety and depression, which caused him to rely very heavily on medication. Doctors confirmed that the star was taking at least five different types of medication at the time of his death, some of which were associated with his anxiety.
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Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is one of the most beautiful actresses of our time, and she’s very good at what she does. However, she suffers from severe anxiety and panic disorder. She has been known to have severe panic attacks right as she begins filming a new movie, often having to hide from the other people on set until the attack is under control. She says she suffers from severe anxiety after accepting new roles and the stress and fear of the unknown and her ability to perform often cause her to suffer from these attacks. She knows what triggers her attacks, but she can’t stop them when the situation occurs.
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Barbara Streisand
She’s one of the most famous singers and actresses of all time, and she suffers from social anxiety disorder. The famous singer says that her anxiety stems from her fear of being on stage and in front of others. She once forgot the lyrics to one of her songs on stage and spent nearly three decades hiding out in shame and in an attempt to overcome her social anxiety disorder. She’s learned to manage her anxiety with the help of teleprompters and medication. She also sees a therapist to help her stay calm and deal with her anxiety.
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Abraham Lincoln
Our nation’s 16th president suffered from a form of anxiety disorder called generalized anxiety disorder. This type of anxiety is a daily type of anxiety. It doesn’t necessarily have the same type of symptoms and day-to-day issues that other types of anxiety have, but it is very real. Technically, President Lincoln was never diagnosed with anxiety (Because this type of disorder did not exist when he lived) but historian’s and medical professionals strongly suspect based on his words, actions and history that he was severely depressed and suffered from anxiety of a generalized disorder, especially given some of his most famous words.
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