Kevin Love Opens Up About His First Panic Attack: ‘We’re All Carrying Around Things That Hurt’

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is speaking out about mental health and his first panic attack, after years of silence dictated by what he calls the “playbook” of manhood. In an essay for the Players’ Tribune, the 29-year-old NBA All-Star details what it felt like to have his first panic attack — and what it felt like to seek help and address his mental health. “It came out of nowhere,” Love writes of his panic attack, which he suffered during a November game against the Atlanta Hawks. “I’d never had one before. I didn’t even know if they were real. But it was real — as real as a broken hand or a sprained ankle. Since that day, almost everything about the way I think about my mental health has changed.” The experience convinced Love to see a therapist and to go public about his internal struggle, in hopes of inspiring others to do the same. “No matter what our circumstances, we’re all carrying around things that hurt — and they can hurt us if we keep them buried inside,” Love writes. “Not talking about our inner lives robs us of really getting to know ourselves and robs us of the chance to reach out to others in need.” Here’s what to know about panic attacks, the condition that prompted Love to speak out. What is a panic attack? A panic attack, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), is “the abrupt onset of intense fear or di...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthytime Mental Health/Psychology onetime Source Type: news