Agoraphobia

For a few years now I've suspected I've had this. I can leave my house with no anxiety, but when I go out of town I have a lot of anxiety, panic attacks, feelings of being disconnected from the world, and difficulty with swallowing food. It seems to be worse when I'm in the car, like when someone else is driving and we're traveling outside of town. I also appear to be more anxious during the day than at night. I don't know, but does this sound like Agoraphobia to you?

"Agoraphobia" literally means "fear of the marketplace", but most ppl who have agoraphobia (incl me) are afraid to leave their houses.

When I was recovering from mine, I was still afraid to go certain places or be at certain distances, even though I was no longer scared to leave the house.

Maybe the phobia is about being in comfort zones; being afraid to leave certain comfortable places? Like out of town or getting in the car.

Or being in places where you cannot get home right away or be in control.

Often when I go out with my roommate, I ask him, "Bruce, how long will we be out?" or "Bruce, how long will the movie/presentation/shopping trip, etc. be?"

I usually need to have as much control over the situation as possible. For me, agoraphobia is about not feeling like I have any control over where I am, where I go, what happens around me, etc. I have to feel safe and in control all the time.

I am working on this.

Just my own experience.

Carol

Sounds like me!!! I also had a friend who had to know where all the fire exits were. i go out in our city don't drive because of head injury, but I am anxious about the rides that I'm taking and my safety. I was in 3 car accidents severe ones but try to control myself in cars.

Yea. I have terrible panic attacks when even stepping outside. I have to make myself. I dont go into stores at all. Or drive. But it seems to coincide with my stress level. Last time my stress was high, I didnt leave my property for 3 years. But when its low, Im drivin and being social. Going anywhere.

i never knew that.

that it means " fear of the market"

is it latin?

Greek: Agora and New Latin: phobia.

I am not sure where I heard fear of the maketplace. Google is getting weird. I read in a self-help book about that marketplace thing. But I did look up agoraphobia and Latin on google and I got that greek/new latin thing.

Carol

That's what I was thinking.

Thank you.

I have agoraphobia, and I have the same issues. When it is at its worst, I cannot leave the house. I have a hard time being in the house too, though. Basically I'm terrified of being anywhere.
Over time as I adapt to it (as I have now, 3 1/2 years later), it develops in other ways. I feel incredibly anxious and panicky if I am too far away from home. It doesn't matter if I'm on a plane or in a car. Traveling freaks me out. I can go into stores and stuff now, and on public transit. I make it to all my appointments, most of the time.
But I still have periods where leaving my house and interacting with the world is just not possible.
Agoraphobia, in my experience, manifests in a bunch of different ways. I think not leaving the house is probably the most common...but I have been told by my psychiatrist that there are others, like the ones I have just outlined. I have also been told that in some cases it is more accurately described as 'generalized phobia' - in other words, afraid of everything.
I guess it's just one of those things where there will be different opinions.

Before I started taking medication I had anxiety even in my house, too, for years. It would get worse if I went to some other public place that was out of my comfort zone, and the farther away from my house I went the more anxious I was. I'm sure if I got off my medication all my anxiety would come right back. -.-

Bumping this thread because I want to hear others' opinions.

i have Agoraphobia too i cant go out the house with out my husband with me
because i think am going to hit people and i have voices that tell me to do this
I cant go on buses on my own and i find that am really panicky on them if am not sitting on a set seat
Am loud when i have a panic attack it can upset other people and it takes a long time for my husband to calm me down

It does sound like Agoraphobia to me

Thank you.

I've suffered from agoraphobia since I was a preteen. I'm afraid to.leave my house most of the time even afraid of car doors slamming & panic every time my phone rings. I have a job waiting tables which I've been at for 11 years & have an open schedule due to the fact that some days I am physically unable to leave. It's a crippling and helpless life. I hope this isn't your future, nobody deserves to be held captive in side their heads. Much luck to you & I hope this answer has been relative to your question.

I have had agoraphobia ever since my depression started. The depression used to make me hide under the blankets and I would feel anxious if I had to go outside or to do shopping or errands. I have to put on a "public mask" that drains me once I come home. I feel the stress and can not exercise or do my routine of exercises. Today was the first day that I came back from errands and did more chores. Usually I would just pass out on the bed for a hour.

I suppose Buddy my cockatiel keeps me in line.

But I can leave my house. Anyone else?

A standard idea for weakening the fears is to gradually, systematically, and regularly expose yourself to anxiety-producing situations, and to require yourself to stay and endure the resulting anxiety. This method allows learning through actual experience (not just intellectually) that the true risk in the feared situations is low.

I had brain surgery in 2005. It was hard to leave the house a long time. Gradually, I could drive and one day standing in line at the DMV had a major panic attack. It continued for a long time and some other life situations added to it.

My family tried to "help" by using the technique of "flooding". It didn't work.

I read a lot of books and tried many things...today I am able to run my errands by pacing myself when out in public.

I have to go slow, and pace myself, by myself, because others just don't understand the stuff inside us. I think they generally mean well (I Hope), but bottom line for me it caused more anxiety to have them pushing me. (tough love)

The anxiety, and panic attacks have decreased a lot, and it takes time and patience and pacing for me. My life at this moment is ok.

In situations that I know will trigger me, I take extra care of myself by setting a limit on exposure that way I control how much, when, who, where I go.

I hope this helps in some way.

Jade

I'm male, 53 or so, yet I suppose I still behave like (or believe what is more like) 25 in my mind. Perhaps I haven't especially evolved, or grown up, in ways that are common to more normal people.

Growing up I wasn't allowed to be afraid, I was taught I should instead 'revere' those who were worth consideration; yet I still wonder sometimes what I would be insecure about, if I were allowed to (give in) to that occasional tempation or the sensibility of 'admitting' such a thing is a very real possibility, despite all the indoctrination. [Sounds wordy, I'll admit, but it still reads... I hope]

I also feel (anxious) for what, internally, my own thot process tells me I 'should' be doing, or pursuing as an achievement, when I am (out of the context) of the physical surroundings that support my own selfish progress forward -- have I errantly left them behind?

For some strange reason, I cannot seem to (bend) to the likes or dislikes of other people/places/things, or their needs, without (occasionally) feeling as though I come under my 'own' recrimination, for nothing more than dismissing my own (jealous commonplace opportunities).

I sense disorientation, I get sensations of being misapplied and even misinterpreted at the level I am accustomed to 'expecting' from my self -- {I 'guess' that's what agoraphobia reminds me of, a sense of dislocation}. I even experience all the signs of (depression) that are common to people who are allowed to openly 'admit' such things are imminent and emanant; Needless to say, at times I 'feel' just a little (begrudged)... as a sort of coy d-mech to 'shift' the pressure off.

There's a great deal more 'to it', I suppose, but rather than stray too far with my own personal impressions, I think I'd rather read some more responses from others willing to share their diversities. Thanks for listening.

See, for me, exposing myself to anxiety-producing situations doesn't help. Cause it's not just anxiety that I feel in these situations. It's depersonalization. And it follows me everytime I'm in public. Sometimes at home, but mostly when I'm in public or away from a place where I feel safe. And the feeling of not being there, of not existing, is terrifying.

The only good thing about this is it seems to have responded well to medication.

Thanks for your response. It is good to hear that medication has been working. In what ways are things better now?

I don't have panic attacks anymore. That might change when I go to college and have to be exposed again.

So no panic attacks now but still anxiety and depersonalization when away from home, in the car, etc., as you described above?

I don't know. I haven't really gone anywhere outside of my safe haven in a while. I stopped having panic attacks at school, though.

No panic attacks at school either: that is also good news.

How would you feel about testing being a little bit outside of the safe haven?

I don't have a car so right now I don't have a chance to do that. But when I have the opportunity, I'll try, maybe.