Rebecca Gibney reveals mental health battle
Rebecca Gibney has revealed that she suffered so badly from panic attacks that she felt as if she was sliding into a ‘black hole’ from which she could not escape.
The actress began having symptoms when her first marriage to musician Irwin Thomas broke down while she was soaring to fame on Halifax f.p.
in the 1990s.
‘It was pretty tough,’ the 57-year-old admitted on Channel Seven’s This Is Your Life on Monday night.
Rebecca Gibney (pictured) has revealed that she suffered so badly from panic attacks that she felt as if she was sliding into a ‘black hole’ from which she could not escape
‘And that was the hard thing, you do put on a front.
My career was going great guns,’ she explained.
‘I just couldn’t verbalise there was a hole inside of me and I was tumbling into it’.
Rebecca said she needed ‘five Valium’ to survive a flight between France and Australia.
The actress began having symptoms when her first marriage to musician Irwin Thomas broke down while she was soaring to fame on Halifax f.p.
in the 1990s. Pictured on the show
‘I had anxiety attack after anxiety attack. I was in such a hole, and I thought I’m not going to make it,’ she said.
The actress revealed that her producer at the time handed her a card for a therapist and she called the next day to make an appointment, after which she underwent two years of therapy.
The Packed to the Rafters star says that she was crippled by silence and couldn’t tell anyone she was suffering.
‘It was pretty tough,’ the 57-year-old admitted on Channel Seven’s This Is Your Life on Monday night. ‘I just couldn’t verbalise there was a hole inside of me and I was tumbling into it’
‘I was struggling, and I couldn’t verbalise what was wrong.
I just knew there was a hole inside me and it was getting bigger and bigger, and I was tumbling into it,’ she explained.
‘I didn’t even tell Mum, I couldn’t even tell my family, because I couldn’t explain it,’ she said.
‘It’s so important that now, people talk about their struggles.
Because if you get the help, you can get through it.
‘Now I know that if I start to slide into that pit, I know that there’s a way out of it.’
‘I had after anxiety attack after anxiety attack.
I was in such a hole, and I thought I’m not going to make it,’ she said
In April 2014, Rebecca revealed that she ‘contemplated hospitalisation’ because her mental illness became so severe.
‘I couldn’t talk about it because I didn’t know what was happening to me,’ the star told the .
‘I contemplated hospitalisation, but I didn’t want people to find out.
I felt like I was in the bottom of a pit. Every time I tried to claw my way out, I’d slip back down,’ she said at the time.
In the six months following the breakdown, the actress saw a psychiatrist twice a week and later made weekly visits in the year and a half thereafter
The actress suffered a major breakdown after wrapping up a promotional tour for tramadol 100mg usa her TV series Halifax f.p.
at age 30.
Battling agoraphobia, she was unable to board her plane without five Valium, an experience which prompted her to seek psychiatric help.
Rebecca recalled that at the height of her illness she suffered from 15 panic attacks a day.
In April 2014, Rebecca revealed that she ‘contemplated hospitalisation’ because her mental illness became so severe
She credits extensive and continued professional advice for her recovery.
In the six months following the breakdown, the actress saw a psychiatrist twice a week and later made weekly visits in the year and a half there after.
‘I’m lucky.
I’m through it, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have down days. I just know how to deal with it now,’ she said.
If you or someone you know needs support, contact on Lifeline on 13 11 14 or at website class=”mol-style-bold”>ifeline.org.au
‘It’s so important that now, people talk about their struggles.
Because if you get the help, you can get through it,’ she said. ‘Now I know that if I start to slide into that pit, I know that there’s a way out of it.’ Pictured on Packed to the Rafters
