Agorophobia

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I've been recently diagnosed with Agorophobia. I don't think it really fits. Is anyone else diagnosed with this? Can you share your experiences, so I can see if I'm on the same wavelength? Thanks.

I'm not diagnosed with it, but know I had it for sure for 4 months in 2003. One thing I was diagnosed with at the time, was Panic Disorder. But this was all because of a neighbour who was threatening me. I was scared to leave the house because of him, until I moved.

Well, I don't get panic attacks when I go out. I only have a history in the past of panic attacks. So, I'm not sure if it's a valid diagnosis.

It is true that I stay at home almost all the time and I get anxious about going out though.

You get two types of dagnosis, if I'm not mistaken. Agorophobia with social phobia and agorophobia without. Usually those without social phobia have a fear of being in the open, wide spaces. The one with social phobia is usually associated with panick attacks and the like.

I wasn't diagnosed agoraphobic, however from 1997-2001 I suffered a huge 4 year bout of panic attacks. Things became so intense that I feared leaving my home for several reason, fear I would DIE, fear I would PANIC and fear that I would humiliate myself if neither of the other two occurred. I had a few friends that understood me enough for me to feel comfortable going out with, so I wasn't confined to my home, but I certainly wouldn't go anywhere by myself. It even got to the point that my spouse (after a trip to the crisis clinic) went to my Dr.'s office FOR me to pick up a script for Zoloft. He went and had it filled, and over the next several months, I slowly began to emerge from my shell. The Zoloft definitely help break the obsessive thought patterns, which afforded me the time to SEE for myself through experience that I could handle things ....even on my own.... which was much better for me as the mother of a 2 & 1/2 year old. I've been on & off Zoloft since (just started taking it again 2 days ago). I find when I get into a spot where my head feels too flooded it's best to start up with Zoloft again, so that I don't sink. Since 2001, I've had lots of anxiety attacks, but the panic at this point, is a thing of the past. Through this time, I've tried to challenge my fears. I make an effort to tackle situations I'm unsure of, as a means to train myself that nothing bad happens in the end. However, I still to this day make sure I've got a good excuse to LEAVE a situation, and an easy way out so to speak. hankfully, I rarely ever have to use them.

Good luck to you, what is Agoraphobia like for you? How do you struggle?

Sue

I have it, but I think sbwilson summed it up pretty well from my perspective.

I experience something similar. I get reluctant to go out of the house because I seem to develop a lot of mental inertia whenever I stay in one location or do a single activity for too long. After a while just breaking the inertia seems to trigger a certain amount of anxiety. There's not always something specific that I can claim to fear so it's tough to explain to others precisely what the difficulty is. It's definitely a strong 'stuck' feeling if not a true phobia. Not calling anyone or going out of the house feels almost like an addiction to me. The longer I do it the harder it is to break out.

Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences. I could see myself here and there. I'm afraid to go out because I'm afraid I'll get lost. I'm also afraid of talking to strange people. I have to take klonopin when I go out. Still, I don't panic attack out there. I do spend 90% of my time indoors alone, but I'm not sure about agorophobia.

I was diagnosed with agorophobia (my shrink pronounced it 'ag-or-a phobia which made me laugh because there are two malls nearby called the 'agora' centre!) about 4 years ago. For me, it was partly due to several major phobias, which I suppose could be classed as social phobias. I have severe 'emetophobia' (fear of throw up and throwing up) so I refused to leave my house if I had a slight stomach ache or if I knew someone else was ill or there was some throw up on my route. I am also terrified of germs and contamination. For over 2 years, I spent 3/4 of my time at home in my bedroom with the curtains closed. That is a big problem for agorophobics as well. A major fear of or intolerance to light. Even though I am slightly better now, I still have to walk around with my eyes closed to avoid the light getting in. (before you ask how I get around, I use a white cane...)

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