What is it?
Agoraphobia is a very complex phobia usually manifesting itself as a collection of inter-linked conditions.
For example many agoraphobics also fear being left alone (monophobia), dislike being in any situation where they feel trapped (exhibiting claustrophobia type tendencies) and fear travelling away from their ‘safe’ place, usually the home. Some agoraphobics find they can travel more easily if they have a trusted friend or family member accompanying them, however this can quickly lead to dependency on their carer.
The severity of agoraphobia varies enormously between sufferers from those who are housebound, even room-bound, to those who can travel specific distances within a defined boundary. It is not a fear of open spaces as many people think.
DIY self diagnosis
If you can answer YES to most of the questions it is likely that you are affected by agoraphobia.
During the past 6 months:-
- Did you regularly avoid situations because you are frightened of having a panic attack?
- Did any of the following make you feel anxious:
- Going outside away from your home?
- Standing in long lines?
- Being in a confined space such as being in a tunnel, on the underground, etc.?
- Being at home alone?
- Being in wide open spaces, such as in a field, in a park, etc.?
- Being in crowded places?
- Did you avoid being in any of the above situations?
Anxiety UK strongly advises that people seek further information and guidance from their GP who will be able to make a formal diagnosis.
How we can help
Anxiety UK is a user-led charity with more than forty years experience in supporting those living with anxiety. By becoming a member of Anxiety UK, you will have access to a range of benefits, including:
- Access to reduced cost therapy within two weeks of submitting your therapy request
- Access to our helpline (available Monday-Friday, 9:30 am – 5:30 pm) staffed by volunteers with personal experience of anxiety
- Receipt of four issues of Anxious Times, our quarterly members” magazine
- Access to the members only section of our website, featuring regular support surgeries facilitated by anxiety experts
- Access to specialist helplines, including the psychiatric pharmacy helpline and the psychology information helpline
And many, many other benefits that will help you manage your anxiety long term. To become a member of Anxiety UK click here or ring 08444 775 774 today.
Want to know more?
The Anxiety UK site has information on a range of products to provide more detailed information and help with agoraphobia.
“Overcoming Agoraphobia” was written by Melissa Murphy, a sufferer of agoraphobia. It includes a range of self help strategies and tips for coping with your disorder. You can purchase it from the Anxiety UK online shop by clicking here.
“Overcoming Panic and Agoraphobia” is an evidence based self help guide underpinned by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy techniques. You can purchase this book from the Anxiety UK online shop by clicking here.
Professor Karina Lovell from the University of Manchester was kind enough to donate a copy of her book on agoraphobia to individuals accessing support from Anxiety UK. Click the image below to download a free copy.
Click on the document image to the left or here to download the booklet
|
Anxiety UK relies on donations to keep its services running. If you found this information useful please make a donation – no amount is too small.
|
 |
Useful information
Mobile-Acupuncture provides fully qualified traditional acupuncture practitioners to visit you in the comfort of your own home. Our aim is to provide affordable treatments to all sections of the community.
Acupuncture is a system of medicine that originated in China over 2,000 years ago and is still practiced alongside Western Medicine today.
For more information about acupuncture and the services we can offer in your area please visit www.mobile-acupuncture.co.uk/ There is also a freephone number for you to call and speak to a practitioner direct.
Mobile-Acupuncture is proud to sponsor this page.
Personal experiences
Do you suffer from agoraphobia and want to share your experience with other people? Post your personal experience in the comments box below where it will be sent to our moderator for approval. Many people find this part of the site very useful when trying to understand their disorder so your comments really do make a difference. Please note, all comments submitted to the Anxiety UK website may be used by Anxiety UK for (but not limited to) publicity and promotional material.
“I was agoraphobic for almost 15 years. My therapist advised me to try going out one step at a time but I just couldn’t manage it. Around 2002, I just decided to give it a try. It took a few months of hard work, minor (thank goodness) panic attacks and a lot of sweat, but now I can go out and about as if I had never suffered in the first place. I realise however that I must remember that I will always be a ‘recovering agoraphobic’ and that I might therefore relapse at some point, though god willing, this will never happen. For everyone who is totally housebound, and who feels that there is no hope for them, DO NOT GIVE UP. I felt like giving up less than 3 years ago, and look at me now. Agoraphobia can be beaten.”
Clare, Anxiety UK Member
Hi all , I have been suffering on and off with agoraphobia since i was 16 .I am now 45. I developed it when i had my first panic attack and had flashbacks of being 7 years old and sick at school. I then developed emetophobia which led to the agoraphobia . Thankfully my emetophobia is much less troublesome and i am left with the agoraphobia .I want to work but cannot go to work and stay there and do it all again the next day etc . I hope that i will one day . I also feel because i have now reached the perimenopause that i feel so much more tired and get upset more easliy these days . Are there any other ladies out there who find that this has happened and has perhaps made the anxiety worse at times? Sorry if this is too personal but i’m interested to know how other ladies feel about this and how they deal with it!
Bessie,
There have alway been significant increases in my anxiety and agoraphobia when I have been pre-menstrual.. I’m 44 and now in the same boat.
This is the first time I have looked at this site. Like many of you I have suffered for many years. I was always an anxious child and started displaying symptoms (according to my mum) quite young but really became aware about the age of10, but just managed. Panic attacks really became an issue when I was post natally depressed at the age of 26 and I’ve struggled ever since. I’ve had times where I’ve struggled to leave the house at all and I thought it was just me.
Over the last couple of years, I feel I have coped really well, expanding my comfortzone, going out socially (as long as I get there in my car), even completed a college course. But I can’t seem to let go of my securtiy crutches and so many of my friends have lost patience with me. They always seem to think they can take charge and makeme face my fears rather than just hold my hand.
I’m proud of what I have achieved recently, but today I hate myself. I’ve let my daughter down. She wanted me to take her somewhere 50+ miles away in a city centre.. I was ready to do it, but spent the night in a state of terror.. how do you explain this to your kids :(
hi bessie,
like you i am 44 and i did have security crutches but for one reason or another i have got worse and don’t even leave my street, i don’t really leave my house. i have let my youngest daughter down as i haven’t done anything proper with her for 5 years, she is now 15 and my other daughter is 18, my husband is amazing but i still feel like a let down. i can’t get those years back. you have done really well and you should be proud of what you have achieved. i am sure your daughter will understand more if you tell her how you feel, and with friends that don’t try and understand are not worth it in the first place. it is very hard for others to understand the fear that we feel. don’t concentrate on the negative, think how well you have done and pat yourself on the back. agoraphobia is a continuing battle and you have ‘jumped so many hurdles’ already.
take care
tracy
why are you ashamed?? this is not something you asked to get and it is an illness that needs more exposure. i used to be a happy go lucky person, worked in my ideal job as a trained nurse, then i became agoraphobic, yes i felt and still feel stupid, pathetic, useless, etc., but the long and short is that i DIDN’T ask for this and don’t want it. during this time i have met and married a wonderful man, my daughters now just accept it. i have very bad days just like everyone but remember you are not alone and please don’t be ashamed. please get out of your room and seek help from mental health, family, friends, give them the chance to help. i am happy to speak to you.
hi bessie, i am tracy (i am 44yrs) and yes i can empathise with you totally. i to started with panic attacks leading to agoraphobia. i also want to work to make me feel more worth while and to occupy my mind more so that i don’t keep the focus on my agoraphobia which is a contant. i am always tired, sleep poorly, feel useless, angry, sad, tearful, and much more. i am a horror before my period and during it. i am not always aware of it but my husband and daughters are. i try to keep myself ‘in check’ or do something to occupy my mind. any distraction is a good one. keep in touch. take care, tracy
Hi Tracy , Sorry for late response. Thanks for telling me your story. My distraction is my Law degree . It should have been done years ago but i did psychology first . Doing home study is a gods send to me . I love the Open University . Something to focus on for the future and something to do instead of brooding over agoraphobia. Would liked to have gone back to college though but i also didn’t want to be the oldest there! Cheaper my way too.Also get alot out of studying and having contact with other students through the student forum . So i do get some social interaction . We all need contact one way or another .
My goal is to work part time eventually after i have had some therapy . Waiting list doesn’t seem to go down very fast though! Thinking of buying the cd from anxiety UK .
Speak soon Bessie
Hi everyone I’m 29, just looking for some understanding souls I guess. I have been suffering agoraphobia for 8 month now.It got a lot better with CBT but I still get very shaky in all kinds of situations.I just been on holiday just about 3hours by train from home-I get on with everything but I feel like I’m not fully enjoying the time away and it is very rare that I just switch off and stop watching myself from within.I really want to let go off it all. And I know I have a strong will and believe that this can all be sorted and I will be back to my old self. My scary fear at the moment is flying. I come from Czech Republic and used to fly home at least once a year for the past 9 years since I have been here. I was always a little nervous but my last two flights I was really panicking and so it is kind of hard to even think about it. Has anyone experienced the same and could maybe tell me how did it feel to fly the first time and was everything ok?
Hi Lenka, I don’t know how i would handle flying with agoraphobia as i haven’t tried it . I think the thought of being stuck in the air with no way of getting off if it got too much is very scarey! I always enjoyed flying when i didn’t have agoraphobia but now it’s hard . I actually got off a plane once because i couldn’t stand the thought of being stuck there ! I hate trains and always have and have been on one because i had no choice (whilst phobic) and really don’t fancy doing it again .There’s no need to anyway.
Have you had a look at the fear of flying section ? Is it the plane you are scared of or the being stuck bit and panic? I have an inner ear dysfunction and i don’t know how flying with that would be either.
Hope you can get home one day. Best wishes Bessie.x
Hi Bessie,
thank you for sharing:) My fear is a lot weaker then few month ago-I have no problems travelling by train-I haven’t tried anything over 3hours but I’m sure I would be fine as long as I have something to occupy myself with.I see it more like a fun now:)But travelling by coach is a little scary and the flying is more of the waiting-I could easily fly if I could just get to the airport and straight away get on a plane but the waiting is a problem for me-thats where I fear I will be just escalating my fear and then I’m not gonna want to go anywhere or it will be a very unpleasant experience. But I’m on my way to sort it all out soon through therapy and also I just started going to meditation classes and that seems to help a lot. I was very scared to go there and then I realized that I was panicking the whole time because I feared of being amongst calm people and keeping myself calm-quite an amazing discovery.Maybe it would help you too:)I’m determined to get on a plane within the next half a year just because I have been on a plane countless times every year and it would be silly to let the fear win over me:)Wish me luck and mainly patience:))I hope you will find slowly your inner peace too:).Take care.Lenka*
Hi Lenka , Thanks for telling me about your meditation class .That sounds like it’s helping you . I think i could benefit too. I am starting my therapy tomorrow -CBT via Nhs and this apparently last 12 weeks and if no better i get referred somewhere else. I’ll give it my best shot . That’s all i can do.
Would love to visit the Czech Republic myself. That is one place that i would find interesting . I really hope you can get there again soon.I do wish you all the very best of luck and happiness . Hugs Bessie x
ive just been diagnosed this week with agoraphobia, it didnt come as a surprise, i think ive had it since i was a child as i used to have a fear of vomit, hearing someone retch, feeling sick. im 29 now and i only have the fear of falling unwell out in public, like that person you pass by who has collapsed on the street or inthe shop and is being attented by ambulance staff? i have a fear of being that person.
i hate crowds, i have a sudden urge to escape in whatever manner possible. i hate eating in restaurants, their usually too hot and i end up shaking, sweating ang gunning for the toilet, its always the same.
the job i do gets me out and about so everyday i make myself go out and say “it doesnt have to be a bad day” because i know its all in my head. but what upsets me most is the fact that i feel i spoil it for everyone else if im too quiet, if i want to go home, if i dont want to attend someones party/wedding/cinema. i havent been abroad in 6 years. i have a 9 day holiday in cyprus soon and im absolutely terrified.
I am a newly diagnosed agoraphobic I struggle going to shops as I can’t stand in queues as I dint know what to do with myself as panic just sets in. I have got worse very quickly. I want to beat this quickly but don’t know what to do for the best. I am awaiting conselling.
It’s a very hard thing to over come when you don’t have a partner as I struggle just going to get petrol!
Any advice I would really appreciate.
Nicola
I have agoraphobia, but of going to the toilet, I love to stay home because I know its my safe place. I dont like to go out in the public in case I dont make it to the toilet in time. It affects my life alot because I have 2 children and I dont hardly ever take them places unless I know there is a toilet there. When I do go out I have to go to the toilet when I leave and when I get there and more. I hate this, But I am slowly trying to fix myself as I dont want to go on anti-depressants which I am suppose to be taking. I will get there
you need to get these anxiety attacks under control asap as that is how i became so agoraphobic that i now don’t go anywhere. you should be able to get a leaflet from your doctors surgery which will show ways of dealing with anxiety, showing you how breathing exercises can help and so on. these anxiety/panic attacks will only escalate unless you seek every help available. i hope you find a way of stopping this progressing. i will always be available,
tracy
understanding an anxiety attack. My uncle also suffers anxiety attacks but he helped me once when i was having one. he said this:
when an going about your daily routine, all your worries are muffled but are rolling around at the back of your concience. occasionally an important worry will filter into your thoughts, then another until its all you can think about, meanwhile physical syptoms will start to appear, shallow breathing, clammy, feeling too hot or too cold, shakes, palpitations, jelly legs. what is happening now is because of the worries that you have been obsessing with has captured your attention the body does what it naturally does which is prepare for the fight or flight reaction, the symptoms are the result of there now being too much adrenaline in the body, perhaps your just sitting down but with enough adrenaline in your body to go 10 rounds with mike tyson. So your body has all this adrenaline and nowhere to dispose of it quickly so you feel overwhelmed until you either calm down or get to your safe place and wait it out. You then spend the rest of that day worrying about the attack you just had and maybe even mentally scalding yourself because it seems so silly and shouldnt happen in the first place. first thing first. Dont punish yourself, we learn new things all the time and this is a new challenge for you, breathing excercises and medication can help to alleviate the syptoms but the fear is still there. Aversion therapy can help and is a great tool that you carry with you all the time so use it to help you make that first step outside. Prepare yourself before you go outside dont let those words “go outside” fill you with dread. i have agoraphobia, i work full time, have a great husband, pets and bills to pay like everyone else, i want to help you and help myself too and i believe that nobody should be a prisoner in their own home and more so in their own mind.
i don’t mean to sound harsh but have you really suffered real agoraphobia, because i don’t really think you have by reading your comment. if only things were that easy then all agoraphobics would be ‘cured’. it makes me angry when people say they have agoraphobia then go on to say that they have just come back from abroad, been on a train for hours, been on some holiday or another. i know all about how the system works and how the adrenaline affects the body as i am a trained nurse but all that goes out the window when you are ‘hit’ by the fear. anyones’ adrendaline level can only be at its ‘peak’ for a maximum of 15 minutes before it naturally comes back down again. shame we can’t all have that sort of agoraphobia. i can’t even leave my house let alone my street.
Hi , it is normal for us to feel guilty when we feel we’ve let other’s down. Then beat ourselves up ! It’s terrible the guilt that rips through us because we think no one understands and i suppose we don’t understand it ourself that we can’t just things for our loved ones because it’s too far away for us to go etc.
I feel bad that all my adult life has passed me buy and i haven’t managed to overcome it. I’m town bound ,sometimes just a mile is as far as i dare go by car!
Got to start house hunting tomorrow and can’t leave the area because i can’t stand to move too far the moves too much to handle! I love my area anyway and i truely think leaving it would make me worse than ever as i grew up here. I’d be grief sticken .
How do any of you cope with moving house ? I’ve moved quite a lot in the last few years but it gets worse everytime . It’s the actual move – not being in one house or the other !The switch over so to speak. It’s scarey. x
Hi
People with agrophobia don’t necessary mean they are unable to leave their houses because people experience phobia differently and may be able to cope with different situations. I am sure Emma’s intention was to share her side of the story. If you are not comfortable leaving the house, we do offer therapy service to our members over the phone and webcam and these forms of therapy are as effective as face-to-face therapy. I would strongly recommend you to give it a go. The “Overcoming Panic and Agrophobia” is also worth a read and should give you a better understanding of agrophobia.
Andy
I’m stuck in a vicious cycle. I got ill in school once when I was 14 and ended up throwing up and having to use the public toilets for a #2, which is so embarrassing for a girl (and most likely guys too). So now I constantly panic about having to use the toilet for that when I’m out or getting ill, and then because of the anxiety I feel that I have to go and I feel sick. Travelling with companions is something that terrifies me and I frequently turn down invites because of not being able to leave if I need to. I’m now 18, just started my first year of university where I’m a good 4 hour train journey from home and I’m struggling to cope being away from home. I can’t stand being in quiet spaces because when the anxiety gets too bad it makes my stomach or bowells growl from needing to go, and the thought of people hearing that was enough to make me avoid school for 2 years. I constantly fear embarrassment and over analyse how I may come across to people. It seems ridiculous and embarrassing that my anxiety centers mostly on going to the toilet, which is why I’ve never gotten help because I feel like I’ll be judged. I want to get out of this cycle and stop caring, but it doesn’t seem to matter how much I want it because I can’t make it happen by myself and I feel like I need to do it alone because I can’t stand the thought of becoming dependent on others. :(
Hi , have you had a look at the toilet phobia section on here? That sounds so very horrible for you to deal with. I thought mine was bad enough with just fearing being or feeling sick. ! You have a double whammy there. Hope you can sort it out especially now you’re at Uni .That’s not the most private of places for you. I really feel for you .
All the best for your future .
Bessie x
agrophobic now 30 years,had lots of different treatments but to no avail.trying to get out,so scared of so many things,big buildings,open spaces,going far in car or walking,the sky sometimes the world,anyway worked it out a bit,that iam not so scared of heart attacts or dieing,just not shaw what iam so scared of now.just cannot get it into my head what i think is going to happen,i no i feel faint and dissy and i dont want to fall over but apart from that i realy do not no.if i could just get into my head what i realy think is going to happen i could maybe work on it,but because been ill for so long i need help.maybe someone can just do hypnosis and cure me like they do on tv sometimes,anyway thanks for reading some of my stuff,kindest regards lee,hatfield herts,ps been ripped off alot with treatments so be careful out there.thanks again.
hi lee,
i totally understand your feelings of being scared of basically everything, the only things that won’t happen are death or heart attack from the anxiety of being out of your comfort zone. i have tried hypnotherapy, acupuncture, cbt etc., and although some of these may have worked for others, they haven’ t for me unfortunately. if only it was so easy as to be hypnotised and cured. i know we as sufferers have to do a lot of the work but it doesn’t help when you are constantly fighting everyday just to get through it. i blame my lack of brain activity and my low self esteem to my lack of ‘fight’. some sufferers have found cbt have worked or helped them, that would depend on your cpn or ‘whoever the doctors allocate you. patience is required as it is a hard condition to understand.
take care
tracy
thankyou ever so much tracy for leaving a good comments for me,its good to talk.it is very difficult that pepole do not understand us.iam a brave person but this is a different type of braveness that we have,t to do.and you have got to fight it,i no how hard things are and i no its always easy to say these things to pepole,but its the only way.if you did die with this illness. i would be happy noing that i tryed,but no one does die even tho its in your head.iam 49 now never been on holidays with my family.if i knew this was going to get worse like it has done i would not of had kids,not fair on them because they dont understand like everyone else.just try small steps tracy.count your steps and try to beat your score each time by counting how many you can do.it does not matter if you cannot do this every day ok.dont let life past you by, because when you get alot older you will look back,and think i wish i had tryed to beat this but now its to late.you will be ok.like i said with myself 30 years now,what a waste of years of this beating me.now iam getting out there abit everyday,you can to ok.i send my best wishes in hope that you can try your best,take care.from lee.
I have suffered with agoraphobia for the last 18mths it manifested when my family and I became victims of anti-social behaviour and has only added to my ill health and the anxiety and panic attacks I suffer. My sole existance has become one spent with the four walls of my bedroom which is the only place I truly feel safe. I won’t have the blinds open nor the lights on at night preferring to walk about in the dark.
thankyou as well janet,for getting back to me also.i had a time when i had the curtains drawn day and night.i am over that 90% now,what i did was to open the curtains or blinds a little bit more each day,not everyday because its hard.nothing is going to harm us,but we always think differently.we have trained how selfs to be like this without noing.and yes i do think its possible to train ourselfs back again to normal.we all miss out on so many things in our so called scared lives.but life is to short.iam a big lover of u2 the rock group what i would love to go see them.but at the moment iam not ready,ready.but iam trying and that is what we have,t to do just keep trying dont give up.we all have our days,and we think whats the point of living like this because you just think that you cannot get better.but with hard work which it is we can beat this,but in our own way.to cut a story short janet the longer you leave things the worse it becomes,and also you may get other things that just come into your head,get the help now.and be brave.you can do it ok,kind regards lee.
hi janet,
well i suffer and live within my four walls but at least i have the whole house. i feel for you so much as you need to desperately get some help to get you out of your bedroom. how are your family helping, who do you see daily/or on a regular basis/does your doctor know how you are ‘existing’/did you suffer from anxiety and panic attacks prior to this. i will help you will my experiences as i have now been agoraphobic for 5 years. take care and best wishes.
tracy
hi janet e,and tracy,have left you both comments hope you dont get to angry with what i have said ok,hope you both get something out of your lifes very soon,best of wishes,lee.
I suffer from this bad after some men tried to abduct me , where found and not punished because the didnt hurt me that made me worse ive seen one of them recently i am unable to leave house without someone but now ive been going round shops alone and feel like sometime soon i wil try n go alone its hard specially when people dont understand and say why cant you go out?? why arent you normal?? i didnt ask to be the way i am but in the end i will be stronger and just wish they never have to find out how this feels second time in my life ive had this got over worse before house bound i will do this will not let anyone ruin my life soon tobe married and hope my lifes get better :) i hope everyone that reads this gets better and has the support they need doctors have really helped meds and a back to work programe just for people with mental problems soon as i am able to leave house and feel safe i wanna get back into work.
well done angelina, you have come through something horrendous and survived, i applaud you. no you did not ask for what happened to you nor did you ask to be agoraphobic, none of us have. i am housebound because of it but i did get married in february, we had the ceremony indoors and a marquee in the back garden. i wish you all the best for the future.
take care,
tracy
I’m 22 years old & have been suffering with agoraphobia about 4 years, I also have depression. If I have to go somewhere I have never been to before I get so anxious, sweating, shaking, I’ve even thrown up. I rarely leave the house and when I do it has to be with someone usually a family member. It sucks all I want is to be normal again I have no friends anymore because I’m at that age where all people my age want to do is go out & I can’t join in I have friends online but its not the same :( I’m currently on a waiting list to see a Councillor but i don’t know how long its going to take.
im also 22 and iv lost all my friends due to agoraphobia i also panic if im going somewhere iv never been before :) if you need someone to talk to message me iv never spoken to anyone with simalar problems to me thats the same age i thought i was the only one :)
I have just turned 21 and spent my birthday at home, as great as families are it’s not what I had planned on doing for my 21st. I have had agoraphobia since I was 15 and have no idea how it came to be, I was not bullied or abused I had good friends and a fantastic family. I
Just get such bad stomach pains so bad i cant walk even the thought of leaving my home sends me rushing to a rest room. I had to drop out of school and was left for 2 years thinking I was just ill until I was told I had agoraphobia then I was given therapy for a year until I was passed onto adult services which I decided not to bother with since they wanted me to travel 15 miles by bus just to help me, so I took it upon myself to get better I got a girlfriend took my GCSEs from he did 3 in one month but was then told I could not do anymore from home due to funding. I then started going to the gym which was a 10 minute walk from
My home and spent the year getting into great shape put on a good amount of weight and was looking well but then 10 months ago the electric locks jammed in a car I was in just got in to look for something and I was stuck I flew into a panic got incredibly hot and was trying to break the door off, luckily my aunt was walking past and got me out I got out laughed and then cried. Since then I have quit the gym and list two stone finished with my girlfriend I could not stand being unable to take her places was not fair on her still can’t bring myself to respond to her texts and emails have not been able to sleep ( it’s 5 am as I’m writing this.) I look and feel awful I’m at my wits end and need help.
Pingback: Agoraphobia nausea – Agoraphobia | Most Popular Phobias » Blog Archive
Can anyone tell me if they have had one of those Atos Healthcare medicals . I am due to have one of those at home .Really dreading it . ! I had to really fight to get a home assessment . If anyone has had one , how did it go ? Any tips would be helpful .
I expect or am prepared for fight ! This does not help my condition at all . I wonder what part of cannot travel or be out of the house for very long don’t they understand .?!
I have heard lots of stories which are not very promising – therefore i am not looking forward to getting it done and if i do pass , they might put me in the wrong group ! Another stress inducer!
I feel discrimated against because i have a problem . I would work at home but sadly these are usually a rip off ! Why oh why , when people with agoraphobia could do certain types of work , won’t employers let us work at home ?
Sorry for ranting on ! I just seems unfair .
Take care all of you
Bessie .
I am 16 and have all the symptoms of agoraphobia I know for a fact I have I only ever go out if I’m with my sister and we are in her car at night time :/ I’ve tried to go to the doctors but cancelled 5 appointments so what am I supposed to do?
Hi Lilly
Sorry to hear you are having a difficult time at the moment. You really need to motivate yourself to see your GPs and to go out (may be just talk a down the street). If you don’t face the anxiety and phobia soon enough, it will grow bigger and stronger and by then it would be very difficult to manage the anxiety and phobia. We offer cognitive behavioural therapy to our members at reduced rates and we also offer CBT over the phone or webcam, and this may be something you could consider. Speak to one of our helpline volunteers on 08444 775 774 to discuss the help and support available to you.
Andy
Hi Lilly.
It is really important that you get some help and support. Have you tried phoning your doctor and either getting a home visit or speaking to them on the phone? Then you could explain how you are feeling and hopefully they will be able to give you some advice. Also, can you confide in your parents or family members?
I have been agoraphobic for about 3 years now, but it had been gradually creeping up on me for a few years before that. It was caused by IBS which i have had for about 14 years. I used to get stressed about going out because I was always ill and this caused anxiety and eventually panic attacks. Now, it is a vicious circle – my IBS plays up when I am anxious and the more anxious I become, the worse my IBS becomes.
I do manage to get out of the house now, (although I really struggled with this a couple of years ago) but can only get about 15 minutes drive away. Also, I can only go to familiar places – I can’t do things on the spur of the moment – any suggestion of going somewhere if I’m not expecting it, will send me into a panic.
Strangely, I am better doing things on my own – if my husband is with me or my children, I am worse. i think that is partly due to the fact that if i am on my own I can turn around and drive back if i feel ill and also if i am driving it helps to distract me slightly. If it is a ‘family’ trip somewhere, i have no chance of going because i know I would let them all down if I had to get them to bring me back home.
i have tried lots of things – counselling, CBT, hypnotherapy – now i have just started Imipramine to see if that helps.
I have withdrawn from friends and family as no matter how much I try to explain, no-one really understands unless they have had agoraphobia themselves. I feel useless, hopeless, fed up, annoyed, guilty and just about every other negative emotion possible!
Any suggestions/advice gladly received or it would just be good to chat with anyone who is going through the same thing.
Hi Mrs B
Sorry to hear about your story. Managing anxiety and phobia is all about staying positive and having faith in yourself. Medication can only provide short-term relief and treat the symptoms only. CBT is on of the most effective treatments for phobia and anxiety, would you be interested in doing CBT again? Our therapists are specialised in treating anxiety and phobia, and as long as you practice the cognitive behavioural techniques and stay positive, you should gradually learn to manage the anxiety. Anxiety including phobia is the result of irrational thoughts/ beliefs and negative thinking. The negative feelings you described won’t help the anxiety and you need to change the way you think and feel. Motivate yourself to go out and engage in more positive activities, e.g. exercise, rather than sitting at home all focuing on these negative feelings and thinking. Please visit our Get Help for more support and help available to you.
Andy
Hi Andy.
I know what i need to do to improve as I have already done it to some extent. As I mentioned, I was almost housebound at one point, but have pushed myself to get out of the house every day and now manage to go shopping, fetch my children from school etc, but that’s my limit and I’m finding it hard to get past that point. That’s why I have started the medication in the hope that it will lessen the panic so that I can keep pushing myself. I do exercise regularly and have stopped having caffeine etc but at the moment nothing is really improving.
Hi Mrs B
We can offer you cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) over the phone and webcam so you don’t need to leave your house to get professional help and support. Our therapists are specialised in treating anxiety and phobia and because they are volunteers as well, we can offer therapy to you at reduced rates. Medication can only provide short-term relief and I would strongly recommend you to talk to a professional. Please consider this.
Andy
Hi Mrs b……..I have talked to my sister about it but I haven’t suggested agoraphobia even though its quite clear that I have it. But because she hasn’t heard about this she doesnt know. I’m at the point now where I feel I’m ready to get help I just need a little help to get too the doctors because I badly just want to go out on my own anytime anywhere like I used too.
Hi Lilly.
I completely understand how difficult it is to talk to people about how you are feeling and also to go out to the doctors. When I was at my worst, I remember going to my doctors and feeling like I was going to completely freak out in the waiting room :) I managed to wait though because I knew that I needed to see her to get some help and if I did run (which I really wanted to do) I would only have to go back another day and go through all the panic again.
As you can go out at night with your sister, would she be able to take you to a later appointment now that it gets dark earlier?
I really hope you get something sorted out soon.
hello i suffer with panic attacks and agoraphobia im 22 and had my first panic attack at the age of 11 it was 2 days after my grandfather died i was on my way to school shortly after i completely stopped going out it was 3 years before the nhs decied to give me counciling which didnt go well as it ment i had to travel and leave my safe zone so i tried to kill myself (im also severly depressed) fast forward 2 years and i managed to beat it im not sure how i just picked up the strenght and went to buy mum some milk and i was so pleased i managed to do it i spent most of my days in the front garden i even managed to go on a college course and i found myself a lovely partner we moved intogether and thats when the agoraphobia crept in again around the time we got our new place my whole family fell apart my mum and my sister moved 50 miles away my nan moved to portugal and i was left alone in a city i hated with my mums ex partner walking around i was also told i had fertility issues which knocked my confindence to an all time low im now lucky if i get out the house twice a year and as i dont have a garden here i dont even set foot out my front door as im scared of people judging my and watching me ,,, my main fear when i do leave the house is toilets and getting ill this all stems from me being given a drink and it had laxatives in the end results was horrific and ever since im terrified something like that will happen again ,, my panic attacks always end in me being poorly so its a never ending circle of fear ,, iv not taken any pills for my illness iv tried speaking to the doctors and they refer me to a group of people that im ment to go and speak to i never turned up as im also afraid of the unknown i dont go to places iv never been before the thought of it makes me have a panic attack ,, i managed to go on holiday in september for a week and it was truely magical that was in september this year i havent been out since iv tried but its so hard even opening the front door makes me sweat as i have 75 other front doors all facing mine im basically a prisoner in my own home and it makes me so angry also the jobcentre wont help (with benifits ) as they say i need to go in to talk to them so they no what im entilted to so we are currently living on hand outs from friends and family i no i cant go on like this for much longer iv now been suffering from this awful illness on and off for 10years and i feel so alone noone truely knows what it feels like unless they’ve been through it =)
Jess
Hi Jessica
This must be very distressing for you. Have you thought about speaking to a therapist about the anxiety and phobia? Anxiety UK offers a range of therapy services to our members at reduced rates. We also offer cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) over the phone and webcam if you are unable to travel to the therapist’s location. Managing anxiety and phobia is all about staying positive and having faith in yourself. You need to distract yourself from the negative thinking and irrational thoughts, and motivate yourself to think more positively and engage in more active and positive activities, e.g. exercise and attending support groups etc. A therapist can teach you all the techniques you need to manage the anxiety and phobia but it is still up to you to decide whether you want to accept them and practice them on your own. Stay and think more positive !!
Best wishes
Andy
im not very good at opening upto people in person its one of the situations that will bring on a mega panic attack and thats due to be having 5 years of counciling at a very young age with the nspcc so i think that rules that out,, i try to think positive but its hard when you just keep getting knock after knock , i cant even bring myself to goto the doctors as its a new building that iv never been in =) when i did speak to my doctor over the phone he didnt want to give me any pills due to me being 22 and how depressed i am he doesnt think it would be a good mix ,,thanks for the reply by the way
Hi Jessica
Since your GPs believed medication wasn’t ideal, would you consider talking therapy and speak to a therapist who can help you manage the anxiety and phobia? We offer therapy services to our members at reduced rates and we can even offer cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) over the phone and webcam. May be that’s something you can consider.
Andy
so im 19 unhappy and suffer from agrophobia and anxiety disorder its got to the point where im so servely depressed i usto be so happy when i was 16 but then i had my first attack for the last 3 years i spent my life watching my life been wasted i should be out with my friends but now i dont even speak to them the thought of leaving the gate gives me soo much anxiety i start feeling like i cant breath.i tryed to go shopping i didnt feel in control of the situation just like been stuck in traffic or standing in a busy line in a shop or bank it phisically makes me have belly cramps which just creates a panic attack.i constantly think im going to make a fool of myself start shouting im going to die even tho i know that its not going to hurt me its the worst feeling ive ever had in my life sometimes i wish it was something physical instead of mental it the frightening thoughts which keep me lock inside i take my pills and see the therapist but it just seems like the longest battle ive ever had to face will i ever be back to normal or will i have to manage this condition for the rest of my life i fear i will never be able to to normal things im so young i dont understand why it keeps happening to me
Hi Shelby
It is the irrational thoughts, beliefs and negative thinking that are stopping you from enjoying your life, and causing the anxiety and phobia. Managing anxiety and phobia is all about staying positive and having faith in yourself. You can learn self-help techniques to manage your anxiety and phobia from self-help books such as the “Overcoming Panic and Agoraphobia”. I would also recommend cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and believe this will help you a great deal. You can always call us on 08444 775 774 to discuss help and support available to you in more details.
Andy
My anxiety started when i was 16 and just started college, i loved the course i was on and felt i was doing well. but then i started having daily panic attacks whilst i was there, so i slowly stopped going and eventually quit three months into the course. I then didn’t leave the house for 5 months until i was put on medication by my doctor, but i felt the medication just made me worse, i was able to leave the house (to places not too far, but it was better than nothing!) but it also made me more depressed. I then tried to commit suicide, and after that shock i seemed to be ok for a few months. Now i have completely relapsed and haven’t been out for a year in august. i’m 18 now, almost 19 so i feel i have missed 3 very important years of my life being trapped in my home. Im too embarrassed to talk to friends about it, and my family doesn’t understand. I do have someone that comes to see me once a week and tries to get me to go out, she tries to force me to go further than i feel i can, I’ve managed to go the the shop at the end of my road but i even struggle with that and have stopped trying. I’ve completely given up and feel I’ll never be normal.