Gabrielle Union Describes “Anxiety” About Anxiety & PTSD After Rape
Content Warning: This story discusses sexual assault.
Thirty years later, Gabrielle Union is continuing to navigate life after a traumatic event.
The Cheaper than a dozen The actress provided a glimpse into some of her personal struggles during a Instagram posted on June 7, explaining how post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety affected her daily life after she was raped at the age of 19.
“As a rape survivor, I have battled PTSD for 30 years,” she began in her post. “Living with anxiety and panic attacks all these years has never been easy. At times, the anxiety was so bad that it shrunk my life.”
Union says leaving my house or even turning left unprotected at a traffic light can “terrify me”. Her anxiety can also turn her excitement about going to the party, such as Met Galainto “pure anguish.”
“When we tell all we’re going through, believe us the first time we mention it,” she wrote. “No, it’s not the same as anxiety and everyone experiences and deals with anxiety differently, and that’s okay.”