NEW YORK – At the climax of Pixar’s hit animated family comedy Inside Out 2, Riley, a freshly pubescent teen with a gaggle of new personified emotions, becomes so overwhelmed with anxiety that she has a panic attack.

In the theatre, I whispered to my friend that I had forgotten to bring my panic attack medication. I had said it as a joke – but at the sight of this anxious animated teenager, my whole body’s choreography changed. My muscles tensed. I pressed my right palm down hard to my chest and took a few deep breaths, trying to cut off the familiar beginnings of an attack.