Kathy Griffin allegedly suffered an eight-hour anxiety episode as a result of her continuous fight with an “extreme case” of PTSD.
The 62-year-old comedian, who won Primetime Emmys in 2007 and 2008 for her reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, has had a difficult few years, particularly following her cancer diagnosis in late 2021.
She recently turned to TikTok to explain that she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that she was an “extreme case” of the mental health ailment. “Let’s talk about post-traumatic stress disorder. Kathy Griffin opened the video by saying, “I never talked about it publicly.”
“You can laugh or whatever, but I’ve been diagnosed with complex PTSD, and it’s called an extreme case.”
She added: “If any of you know my story, you’ll understand that this really started for me about five and a half years ago. Wink,” seemingly referring to the backlash she received in 2017 when she posed for a photo with a bloodied replica of former President Donald Trump’s head.
Griffin’s career nearly imploded in the aftermath of her Trump act, as she lost out on many work opportunities and hosting engagements. She was fired from her long-running role as co-host of CNN’s New Year’s Eve special, some of her theatre performances were canceled, the Secret Service probed her, and she was placed on a ‘No-Fly’ list.
In a Newsweek op-ed in 2022, Kathy Griffin explained the effects of her “erasure”, writing: “Now, we’re in such a time, exacerbated by social media, where we really have this universal lack of forgiveness.”
In a separate video posted to her TikTok account several days later, Griffin discussed her PTSD in a little more detail, saying: “Since I’ve been talking on here about PTSD, I had a freaking eight-hour attack yesterday. Eight hours of freaking writhing in pain in the bed.”
“So today I felt like one might be coming on so I started to feel a little iffy, so I’m on my walk now,” she added. “I’m outside and looking at the ocean, which is helpful, and I’m sort of almost mid-anxiety attack right now. It feels good to be walking my way through it. I just keep telling myself it won’t last forever.”
Kathy Griffin also shared the video on Instagram, with a lengthy explanation outlining how she copes with PTSD in her daily life.
“I have been diagnosed with complex PTSD and for the last year and a half I have been plagued with terrifying panic attacks. Sometimes they last a few hours or more typically, they last at least a full day if not multiple days in a row. I feel silly even telling you this, because I always thought PTSD was just for veterans and stuff. During my attacks, I typically vomit quite a bit and often have to go to the ER just to get IV fluids,” she wrote.
Many individuals flocked to the comments section to relate their own PTSD experiences, while others praised Kathy Griffin for speaking up on the subject.
