Defending herself. Sister Wives star Robyn Brown faced a lot of backlash from fans after her daughter Aurora filmed through one of her panic attacks on the Sunday, March 8 episode. While most viewers felt it was not a good idea for cameras to capture the 17-year-old during the scary moment, Robyn explained that it was actually her choice to open up about her experience on the show.

“Aurora was given the choice whether to let her panic attack be included on the show. She just wanted to be able to talk about what it is like to have a panic attack too. She wants to bring awareness so people are more sensitive and supportive to those who have them,” the 41-year-old wrote on Twitter shortly after the scene aired.

She also addressed fans’ concerns since it was not mentioned if she and her husband, Kody Brown, were seeking help for Aurora’s condition. “Aurora started having real panic attacks when things got super stressful when were told we had to move. It was hard for her to think about moving again and she had a lot going on since it was her Junior year. It was super hard to see her struggle,” Robyn continued in separate tweets. “She has seen doctors to help her and we did a lot to support her through everything she was going through. She is so accomplished and still is doing very well in school. She is my overachiever and expects a lot of herself. It was a very stressful hard time for her.”

The scene itself was difficult to watch for most fans. Kody, 51, and Robyn had gathered their five children to tell them that the rental home they had been living in was recently sold. They had 60 days to move out and find another house in Flagstaff, Arizona, and Robyn and Kody argued in front of their children about whether renting another home or buying a home was the best option for their family.  In the middle of their discussion, Robyn noticed that Aurora had started to twitch, which is one of the first signs of an oncoming panic attack.

sister wives robyn brown daughter aurora panic attack backlash
TLC

Robyn got up to comfort Aurora as she struggled to speak and broke down in tears. In a confessional, the teen opened up about what it feels like when she’s going through a panic attack.

“It’s like, difficult to think and process things cause it feels like my thoughts are simultaneously going a million miles an hour and nowhere at all,” she explained. “These panic attacks happen probably four to five times a week. Some of them, I have noticed, are triggered by certain things like when I’m really, really upset or really like emotionally or physically exhausted or when I have a high stress situation. My shoulders and torso will start to shake and I’ll start to have tremors and stuff. By the time I’m in the middle of one, I’m like hyperventilating and I can’t talk and I can’t walk and I can’t do hardly anything for myself. I still struggle to convince myself that I’m not the one causing it. I’m not the one instigating it and knowing that it’s not my fault. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just hard.”

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