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This TV show is being praised for its very real and honest portrayal of an anxiety attack

It's really spoken to a lot of people

This TV show is being praised for its very real and honest portrayal of an anxiety attack
20 February 2017

If you’re a fan of the hit new NBC show This Is Us, you’ll already know that it’s excellent at dealing with big, important topics – especially for a comedy series.

The show, which centres around a group of people who all share the same birthday, has already tackled topics like adoption and PTSD, and its most recent episode took on anxiety attacks.

It did so in such a powerful and honest way that fans have been raving about the scene on social media, and anxiety sufferers have been thanking the creators for putting such a strong and accurate representation of their condition out there on a mainstream show.

It quickly became apparent that not all was well with Randall (Sterling K. Brown) when he phoned his brother Kevin (Justin Hartley) to tell him that he wouldn’t be able to make it to see his play. During the conversation, Randall’s hands were seen shaking, his vision blurred slightly, he was distracted, and he seemed emotionally detached – despite the tears pouring from his eyes.

Kevin was confused by the call – and more than a little hurt that his brother had decided not to come and watch him perform in his hit play.

However, picking up on Randall’s emotional state, Kevin began to wonder what was going on with his brother. He readied himself to step out on stage, but, after reflecting on what his father would have done in the same situation, Kevin walked out on the performance and rushed to Randall’s place of work, where he found his brother slumped on the floor.

The scene then featured a flashback of the two brothers from when they were teenagers, where Kevin witnessed Randall having an anxiety-induced moment but walked away.

Fans flooded Twitter with praise for the scene after the episode aired.

More than 8 million people in the UK alone suffer from anxiety – it’s now the most common form of mental illness – so it’s definitely great to see a big show like this tackling the issue in such a well thought-out and influential way.

If you suffer from anxiety, experts advise that you visit your GP to explore the number of treatments available.

You can find out more information – including a series of approved self-care tips – on the Mind website.