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Ariana Grande shared a brain scan on Instagram that appeared to show her 'terrifying' levels of PTSD

Ariana Grande shared a picture of a brain scan on her Instagram that appears to show how she is suffering with PTSD.

ariana grande monopoly music video
  • She wrote on the picture that the scan was "hilarious and terrifying," but it was "not a joke."
  • Grande has spoken about experiencing PTSD and anxiety following the bombing attack at her Manchester concert in 2017.
  • "The processing part is going to take forever," she said. "Music is supposed to be the safest thing in the world ... I think that's why it's still so heavy on my heart every single day."
  • Visit INSIDER.com for more stories.
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Ariana Grande shared an Instagram story on Thursday that appeared to be a scan of her brain.

The picture showed a scan of a normal brain alongside one of a "PTSD brain."

Underneath was supposedly a recent scan of Grande's brain, with the same areas lit up as the brain of someone suffering with post traumatic stress disorder.

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She wrote on the picture that the scan was "hilarious and terrifying," but it was "not a joke."

The areas of the brain of a PTSD sufferer that usually show up on scans are the amygdala and the hippocampus regions associated with emotions, especially fear, and memory. The amygdala is highly active when someone is experiencing anxiety, stress, or phobias, while the hippocampus commonly shrinks in patients with PTSD , which can help explain why they experience flashbacks.

It would not be surprising for Grande to be suffering from PTSD after the last few traumatic years she's had.

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In May 2017, a terrorist detonated a bomb at Grande's concert in Manchester, killing 23 people, many of whom were very young. A couple of weeks later, Grande pulled together the "One Love" concert where she performed alongside many other famous artists like Justin Bieber and Coldplay to honour those who lost their lives.

Grande has spoken in the past about how she struggled to cope after the incident. She told Time about her grief, and how it was hard to think about because so many people had "suffered such loss and pain."

"The processing part is going to take forever," she said. "Music is supposed to be the safest thing in the world ... I think that's why it's still so heavy on my heart every single day."

She also spoke about her PTSD symptoms and anxiety in an interview with British Vogue last June.

"My anxiety has anxiety" she said. "I've always had anxiety. I've never really spoken about it because I thought everyone had it, but when I got home from tour it was the most severe I think it's ever been."

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She added that she sometimes felt dizzy and she doesn't know how she'll "ever know how to talk about it and not cry."

Grande also lost her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller to a drug overdose last year . They dated on and off for two years, but called things off because the relationship was "toxic."

However, they seemed to remain close regardless of the breakup, so Grande took the loss incredibly hard. She called off her engagement to comedian Pete Davidson just a month after Miller's tragic death.

Since his death, Grande has paid tribute to Miller many times on social media. In November she shared an image of the previous Thanksgiving with the caption "you're v missed," and when she kicked off her world tour in March, she played his music before performing.

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Grande has been very open with her fans about her mental health. Just a few days ago she shared a message on Instagram encouraging them to look after themselves mentally .

"I just wanted to say hi and remind you guys to protect your peace and your energy and to not forget to take care of yourselves and protect your space," she said.

"I just want to make sure that you don't run yourself to the ground, exhaust yourself and remember to protect your energy and do things that are good for you."

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