Emma Stone suffered ''really bad'' panic attacks as a child.

The 'Birdman' actress has admitted she struggled with anxiety as a child which led her to believe bad things were happening.

Recalling the first time she suffered the attack, she told the Wall Street Journal: ''It was really bad. The first time I had a panic attack I was sitting in my friend's house, and I thought the house was burning down. I called my mom and she brought me home, and for the next three years it just would not stop.

''I would go to the nurse at lunch most days and just wring my hands. I would ask my mom to tell me exactly how the day was going to be, then ask again 30 seconds later. I just needed to know that no one was going to die and nothing was going to change.''

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old star previously revealed that acting helped reduce her anxiety.

She said: ''Acting was a way of overcoming my anxiety. I'm much more secure now, but I still deal with anxiety. Acting allows me to make productive use of my overly sensitive side and channel all that nervous energy, which would otherwise be more of an obstacle in life.

''My work is such an important and wonderful creative outlet for me that I couldn't imagine my life without it.''