Agoraphobia

Does anyone here struggle with agoraphobia? I recently found out from my psychiatrist that I am struggling with it and am wanting to know if anyone else has it.

It's not fun when I have to be in public and then worry about not having my way out if something bad were to happen. This type of thing really freaks me out and has made me leave certain events as a result sometimes. Does anyone here with this have any suggestions? I am going to have to do exposure therapy and I am nervous about it.

I suffer from Agoraphobia which seems to have been an outgrowth of my Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder. I am so sorry that you bear that burden. Heavy burden sometimes.

Exposure therapy helped me quite a bit but agoraphobia sometimes still affects me. For example, I went on a 7 hour car trip with friends and often felt like a prisoner since others were doing the driving and I had no real way out.

I think there are degrees of Agoraphobia since some people suffer mildly and others are crushed by it. I know of someone who has not left their house in 5 years, won't go to doctor and dental appointments and has their food delivered to them. I hope it doesn't afflict you to that extent.

I seldom go out anymore because I am almost 70 and have numerous health and mobility issues. I was very nervous about exposure therapy, but to be honest, I tend to be nervous about everything. Hopefully this therapy will prove very helpful to you.

Maybe you would care to share your journey with us here on the Forums. It would certainly help me and others who struggle. It is nice to know that one isn't alone with one's particular struggles. I am rooting for you.

Thank you for your response! It makes me feel less alone to know that someone else knows what I feel. I will definitely share my journey with exposure therapy. I'm nervous about it but I'm ready to start feeling better to where I can actually sit in places like restaurants without feeling scared that I will get sick or that something bad will happen and won't be able to find an exit.

I struggled with agoraphobia about 15 years ago, and relate to much of what you've shared so far, as well was what Yaowen shared.

There are degrees of agoraphobia, and most who struggle with it still manage to go out. In talking to many people over the years, it's clear that agoraphobia tends to be misunderstood. Agoraphobia isn't just about people who never leave home, it's about that fear you feel when you do have to go somewhere. My understanding is along the lines of what Yaowen posted, that agoraphobia is generally an offshoot of another anxiety disorder. For me personally, the anxiety was so acute that my mind became very sensitized and alert to everything- like being in a constant level 10 "on position". That was among the reasons why going out became so difficult -- everything was exhausting and anxiety inducing.

I posted about this on another thread here recently. I used cognitive behavioral therapy from a book titled Simple Effective Treatment of Agoraphobia by Dr. Claire Weekes. Another member noted that the book is available online through a free library. This book changed my life. I'd highly recommend it. The CBT she taught is a lot about resting and learning to calm your mind, and then slow and gentle exposure therapy on top of that. For me, it took about six months of work before there was noticable difference, and after a few years I was able to function almost completely normally. Nowadays, it doesn't affect me much, though on some level I'll probably always consider myself agoraphobic - if only because there may be a certain susceptibility to it and anxiety (if that makes sense). There is hope though.

I, too, hope you will share your experiences and journey as you work through it. You are so not alone!

ETA: https://mysupportforums.org/7426052-post10.html

Thank you for the suggestion!