{
  "id": 5024611,
  "title": "A moment that changed me: I had a panic attack on public transport – and it led me to a horrifying secret",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/a-moment-that-changed-me-i-had-a-panic-attack-on-public-transport-and",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-02T05:45:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Health",
    "slug": "guardian-health",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/sep/02/moment-that-changed-me-panic-attack-public-transport-horrifying-secret"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For over ten years, I struggled with a debilitating fear that culminated in me attempting to escape from a moving underground carriage. This intense anxiety had been growing since I relocated from Surrey to Brixton in the late 1980s, as I increasingly felt overwhelmed by the crowded and confined spaces of public transportation. The situation worsened over time, resulting in a series of distressing panic attacks.\n\nBy July 2003, I found myself on my usual commute from Brixton to the South Bank, when I experienced a panic attack of such severity that I found myself attempting to climb out of the train doors. Fortunately, fellow passengers managed to restrain me until the train reached the next station. After this harrowing experience, I knew that I could no longer ignore the issue and sought help to address my growing mental health concerns.",
  "summary": "For a decade I lived with a fear so bad that I once tried to climb out of a tube carriage while it was in motion. Then a hypnotherapist told me to ask my parents one very important question In 2000, I had been living in London for just over a decade and working at EMI Records for five years. I had moved to Brixton from Surrey – where space and peace were generally abundant – in the late 80s, and…",
  "key_points": [
    "Experienced debilitating fear for over a decade",
    "Attempted escape from moving underground train",
    "Sought help after severe panic attack in July 2003"
  ],
  "editors_take": "A crippling fear of public transport, triggered by the stress of crowded spaces, ultimately forced the writer to confront a long-standing mental health issue that had been escalating over years.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}