“I thought I might die like this”...The unexpected condition that even ‘godfather of variety TV’ Lee Kyung-kyu suffers from [Health Talk]

[Financial News] The ‘godfather of variety TV,’ broadcaster Lee Kyung-kyu, has revealed that he has continued medication for panic disorder for more than 10 years, prompting renewed interest in the condition, one of the most common mental health disorders of modern life. Since it can strike anyone without warning—not just celebrities—who is exposed to intense competition and stress, the importance of recognizing symptoms accurately and responding early is being emphasized.

Lee Kyung-kyu, who appeared on the recently aired EBS 2TV documentary “Witnessing the Times,” recalled when his panic disorder first developed. He said, “I had such severe chest pain while filming that I went to the hospital, but the tests showed nothing was wrong.” He continued, “My heart was pounding and I was breaking out in a cold sweat, so I happened to visit a psychiatry department and was diagnosed with panic disorder,” adding, “Even now, I still can’t stop taking the medication and continue treatment.”
He is not the only celebrity to have suffered from panic disorder. Singer Seo In-young also said on YouTube that she has been taking medication for more than 10 years and, with claustrophobia on top of that, has had great difficulty riding in a car for long periods or standing on stage. Broadcaster Kim Shin-young has also spoken about experiencing severe fear of enclosed spaces and anxiety after her first attack on a plane—so severe that for three months she could not ride an elevator and had to keep every door inside her home open.
Panic disorder has become common in the entertainment industry, where celebrities face public scrutiny, constant evaluation and anxiety about possibly falling behind trends. More recently, however, the number of patients among ordinary office workers and students struggling with excessive workloads and interpersonal stress has also been rising sharply.

Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder in which a person experiences intense anxiety and fear for no particular reason, accompanied by abnormal physical reactions.
Symptoms can come on suddenly, including a racing or pounding heart that feels as if it might burst, shortness of breath or tightness in the chest, a feeling of suffocation, chest pain or discomfort, dizziness or lightheadedness, unsteadiness, cold sweats, trembling or numbness in the hands or feet, and chills or hot flashes.
Along with these physical symptoms, extreme fear—“What if I die like this?” or “What if I go crazy or lose control?”—peaks for about 10–30 minutes and then gradually subsides.
Even between attacks, persistent anxiety about “What if I have another attack?” (anticipatory anxiety) can lead people to avoid crowded public transportation, elevators, movie theaters and other enclosed places or locations that are difficult to leave immediately, placing major restrictions on daily life.

Experts agree that panic disorder is “a condition in which people can expect improvement approaching a full recovery in 70–80% or more of cases if it is detected early and treatment is started.” By contrast, if it is dismissed as unimportant and left untreated, there is a significant risk it could worsen into secondary mental health conditions such as depression, insomnia, agoraphobia that leads people to avoid crowded places, or alcohol dependence.
The key to treatment is a prompt and accurate diagnosis. If palpitations or shortness of breath recur even though routine physical examinations, such as an electrocardiogram or chest X-ray, find no significant problems with the heart or lungs, people should promptly seek help from a psychiatry department. Treatment combines medication, including antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and anti-anxiety drugs, with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to correct distorted bodily sensations and anxious thoughts.
When an unexpected panic attack occurs, it is important to use coping techniques that calm the autonomic nervous system. Since hyperventilation can easily occur during an attack, rather than forcing yourself to take deep breaths, breathe in slowly and maintain diaphragmatic breathing, exhaling for about twice as long as you inhale. It can also greatly help ease symptoms to remind yourself that “these symptoms will not endanger my life and will subside within a few minutes.”
Adjusting everyday habits is just as essential as treatment. It is best to avoid highly caffeinated drinks such as coffee and energy drinks, which can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, speed up the heartbeat and trigger symptoms. Alcohol may temporarily ease tension, but as it is broken down in the body, a rebound effect can actually intensify anxiety and palpitations, so abstaining is the rule.
Chronic fatigue and lack of sleep can also disrupt the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain and lower the threshold for anxiety, so it is important to get regular sleep of around seven hours a day. Regularly combining light aerobic exercise, such as walking or jogging, with meditation and stretching to release accumulated tension is the best way to prevent panic disorder and keep it from recurring.


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