confused.com can u help ???

[thinker_bell]

does anybody recognise this...
i do go out, as much as i can but the fear is there.. before i go out i get terrified, not sure wot about but i have lost alot of confidence and begin to panic with the minutes counting down before i have to go out and sometimes when i go out i have to come home ... the thing is though is that i DO go out ! well at least i try to, im a young mum with a young child and cant eactly leave him at school so i have no choice other than to pick him up but i have college once a week and make every excuse i can not to go as i get scared and think people are lookin at me and judging me all the time and i dont know why.. i get very panicky if i am more than a mile or so from home and get severe panic attacks as i know i can tget straight home if i need to incase i have a panic attack etc... is this still agorophonbia, a few years ago when i first had a break down i was only 18 and all my friends would go out and i would think about going but then have a panic attack set off my ibs and saty in and this went on for about 4 months jus not leaving the house but i do now but it is very traumatic.. i assume i still have mild agorophobia but my doc fobs me off all the time, any advice??? xxx

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[pooh]

Hi thinker

it sounds like agoraphobic behaviour to me! But I'm not a doctor what I do know about our health service though is this....sometimes you have to push for what you need and push hard.
A wee suggestion would be for you to keep a diary of what you experience on a daily basis. what you feel and what you struggle with. This way rather than going to an appointment with all the pressure on you explaining and remembering when your anx is high you are prepared, the work is already done in an environment you feel safe and comfortable with.
Unfortunately as with all services there are limited resources but that 10 minute appointment is yours and you have to learn to utilise that time to the max.

Hope this helps

Pooh xxxx

[lifeissweet]

hi id say youre agoraphobic, cause i know i am and you think the same as me lol!

like u, i have to collect my child from nursery, but it terrifies me some days, altho by the end of the week, having done it each day i feel better, altho mondays are hardest.

i go shops, etc but cant go out my town alone, and even then wouldnt feel comfortable.

[lifeissweet]

hi id say youre agoraphobic, cause i know i am and you think the same as me lol!

like u, i have to collect my child from nursery, but it terrifies me some days, altho by the end of the week, having done it each day i feel better, altho mondays are hardest.

i go shops, etc but cant go out my town alone, and even then wouldnt feel comfortable.

you dont have to be housebound to have agoraphobia, there are diff levels. agoraphobia is fear that you wont get out/home/to place of "safety"....so u could still be out and about but scared of it. x

[thinker_bell]

thanks guys for your responses...
i just wish the help was there from my doctor, i have been fobbed off for 5 yrs and as i have very low self esteem i just accept it but i really need to be strong if i want to get better, keeping a diary sounds like it might work, thanks again both of you..
xx

[orangeblossom]

Have you considered taking someone who knows about your situation with you to the Dr so they can emphasize what it is like for you and that you really need help? GPs are too keen to fob people off as it makes the work load easier on them - it is absolutely unfair on you and you need your life back.