The Inside Out 2 panic attack scene is one of the best depictions of anxiety ever – and something Pixar director Kelsey Mann is incredibly proud of: "I couldn't be happier"

Anxiety in Inside Out 2.

I remember my first panic attack like it was yesterday. It was 12 years ago during a school exam, seemingly coming out of nowhere upon opening the test paper, seeing jumbled letters instead of words. Soon enough the world around me started spiraling, as I clutched at my chest unable to breathe, with my mouth struggling to form words as an invigilator asked me what was wrong.

Although I didn't know it at the time, I was having my first anxiety attack – which is something that still happens from time to time today. They are always surreal events that are difficult to describe, but I put it that they are like out-of-body experiences, just ones where you are overwhelmed with confusion and terror. During these attacks, it feels like I'm looking at myself from another room or from up high, desperately fighting to get back to reality.