Well this year at least I am like you Ripose - I have only been out of the house to go to doctors or hospital appointments, and only then if someone can take me there and bring me back. I have been like this before for a few weeks or a month at a time, but never for this long. It started with a long depressed period but now I am scared to go out, it is really difficult, I think I'm agoraphobic.

However in the last two weeks I have been out twice, it is very hard, I feel dizzy and terrified with all the noise and people (I live in the city) and I haven't gone very far. But I am going to keep trying as I am really scared I will end up staying inside forever. I am not very well physically, and I think unless I keep going out I may lose the ability to.

I have heard that one way to treat agoraphobia is to keep exposing yourself to what you fear, and to stay in that situation until the physical and mental effects of that fear lessen. So I will keep trying a bit at a time.