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Billie Joe's panic disorder


PleasedToMeetMe

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I was recently diagnosed with panic disorder and it's been hell to deal with. I remember reading on several occasions that Billie Joe also suffers from anxiety/panic disorder and would like to know if he has ever mentioned it or talked about it besides the lyrics to Basket Case.

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Yeah there's this quote in relation to Basket Case:

"'Basket Case' was about anxiety attacks and feeling like you're ready to go crazy. At times I probably was. I've suffered from panic disorders my entire life. I thought I was just losing my mind. The only way I could know what the hell was going on was to write a song about it. It was only years later that I figured out I had a panic disorder. "

And like you said there's several other times it's been mentioned. As far as I know he's never gone into more detail than that, I don't think he's talked at length about it or mentioned if he was diagnosed with or treated for a disorder or if he just realised he had one. I also wonder whether he's ever talked about it other than when being asked about Basket Case?

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Well Panic Song. Besides the title the lyrics "on the brink of self destruction" or "broken glass inside my head. "

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As far as I know, he wrote Basket Case (as Hermione already said) to deal with the panic attacks, which were actually diagnosed as the result of a panic disorder years later. So in fact, he didn't even knew what was going on and he started doing (more) drugs to get along with that. I can't give you actual excerpts of lyrics which show that, as Billie often writes stuff like that between the lines you know.

But you always have to consider, it went better for him. So for me, Billie's 'history' of panic attacks and anxiety is a sign of hope like 'it get's better' and like a motivation or something. He was full of anxiety, and still managed to be one of the biggest rock band's frontman of whole time. It's impressive, as he didn't even knew about his actual disease until a few years later and still proceeded to go on and make music.

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I believe he admitted he was on Xanax so even though he has never talked about it, it is probably a good chance that he was diagnosed and treated.

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Also he said in an interview that Basket Case is about a girl called Becka, it isn't about him even though it's written in first person (and that's why many people think he must be insane). I think this was discussed a ton of times before and the conclussion was he was making things up in one of the versions, most probably in the one about Basket Case being about this Becka girl. https://youtu.be/8ZJjC8jejPM?t=218 

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Also he said in an interview that Basket Case is about a girl called Becka, it isn't about him even though it's written in first person (and that's why many people think he must be insane). I think this was discussed a ton of times before and the conclussion was he was making things up in one of the versions, most probably in the one about Basket Case being about this Becka girl. https://youtu.be/8ZJjC8jejPM?t=218 

Yeah it could be he didn't feel like talking about his personal issues during some silly interview. He said once that when he was being asked about Uptight in an interview he just made something up because he didn't feel like talking about suicidal feelings, so he could easily have done the same with Basket Case. But it could also be that both things are true and the song was inspired by both of them, either explanation is possible.

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I was recently diagnosed with panic disorder and it's been hell to deal with. I remember reading on several occasions that Billie Joe also suffers from anxiety/panic disorder and would like to know if he has ever mentioned it or talked about it besides the lyrics to Basket Case.

i was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder 6 years ago it is awful especially when you're first coming to terms with it . Just wanted to say I really hope u get through it ok 

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I remember reading that a lot of the stuff from Insomniac was about his panic attacks/anxiety. 

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Billie's not a role model? What???!

his favorite way of dealing with problems were drugs and alcohol. What a good role model for our children! 

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his favorite way of dealing with problems were drugs and alcohol. What a good role model for our children! 

Speaking of, has he been keeping up with his sobriety since the Rolling Stone article a while back as far as we know?

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Speaking of, has he been keeping up with his sobriety since the Rolling Stone article a while back as far as we know?

Why is it any of our business?

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Why is it any of our business?

Just a little concerned. I would like to hear more Billie Joe content. Pill addiction is heavy and the death rate of pill relapses are pretty high. I just hope they guy I grew up listening to is staying healthy.

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Just a little concerned. I would like to hear more Billie Joe content. Pill addiction is heavy and the death rate of pill relapses are pretty high. I just hope they guy I grew up listening to is staying healthy.

It's understandable to want him to be healthy, but he never even said he was going to be sober (getting help with an alcohol or drug problem doesn't necessarily mean being straight edge for life afterwards) or promised anything about it, so there isn't really anything to "keep up-to-date" on even if it was our business to do that. Unless he reveals he has a problem with anything I wouldn't worry about it.

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Billie sometimes he was mixing Weed with a lot of alcohol . that can bring panic at attaks when you're high , cause i've done this and i had a fucking Panic attack.

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Billie sometimes he was mixing Weed with a lot of alcohol . that can bring panic at attaks when you're high , cause i've done this and i had a fucking Panic attack.

Alcohol induces anxiety and weed magnifies it's effect so the mix can cause panic attacks, especially if you're prone to them.  

Why is it any of our business?

Curiosity is one bitch of a privacy invader :P 

Just a little concerned. I would like to hear more Billie Joe content. Pill addiction is heavy and the death rate of pill relapses are pretty high. I just hope they guy I grew up listening to is staying healthy.

well, let's say that if he's healthy there's no reason to keep us updated, because the last time we heard from him he was ok. And we will eventually find out if he's not, however , what good will us that knowledge do? :D Personally, I'm satisfied with Schrödinger's view - he's sober and high at the same time untill I learn which is the case. 

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Alcohol induces anxiety and weed magnifies it's effect so the mix can cause panic attacks, especially if you're prone to them.  

Curiosity is one bitch of a privacy invader :P 

well, let's say that if he's healthy there's no reason to keep us updated, because the last time we heard from him he was ok. And we will eventually find out if he's not, however , what good will us that knowledge do? :D Personally, I'm satisfied with Schrödinger's view - he's sober and high at the same time untill I learn which is the case. 

My intent wasn't to be a gossip. The knowledge would emotionally prepare me if he went the way of Mike Starr (God forbid,) but yeah you're right talking wouldn't make things better and will just rev up the rumor mill. 

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There's nothing to indicate he's doing anything other than completely great. His Instagram posts, his fan interactions, his performances in April and in NYC with Norah Jones - from what anyone can reasonably tell, he seems to be completely fine and healthy. He's letting us fans know what he wants us to know, which is his right, and from what he's shown us he is fine. So I would trust that until a reason not to comes along :)

Thank Jesus for that!

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Just a little concerned. I would like to hear more Billie Joe content. Pill addiction is heavy and the death rate of pill relapses are pretty high. I just hope they guy I grew up listening to is staying healthy.

He's sharing more with us than many celebrities do, I'm sure, and everything he's willingly shared suggests he's happier and healthier than ever. He looked wonderful in Cleveland and at the few other shows he's played this year, so I wouldn't worry too much! Anything we know about his struggles is going to be "he said, she said" anyway at this point, so there's no sense in worrying about it. There's a reason he said in Rolling Stone that he's only doing one interview about his addiction problems. I don't blame him for not rehashing any more public information. He most likely wants to move forward, and as fans I think not overanalyzing every time he has a drink or forgets the words to a song is the best way to adhere to those wishes. 

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My intent wasn't to be a gossip. The knowledge would emotionally prepare me if he went the way of Mike Starr (God forbid,) but yeah you're right talking wouldn't make things better and will just rev up the rumor mill. 

I completely understand your point, actually I feel the same, but I know that if I knew, I wouldn't be prepared for anything. I'd just worry more - about something I could do literally nothing about :)

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Well Panic Song. Besides the title the lyrics "on the brink of self destruction" or "broken glass inside my head. "

Wasn't Panic Song written by Mike?

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Wasn't Panic Song written by Mike?

The song was co-written. Mike has experienced panic attacks as well. He actually had serious problems with them back then - if I'm correct, the Insomniac tour was cut short because of his issues.

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