Therapist says i have agrophobia and panic disorder

[ladymillion]

I have been to my second CBT session and the therapist is really nice. She really understands me. She told me that I have agrophobia and panic disorder. (I thought i had social anxiety as my symptoms only happen in public places, social situations etc). I was just wondering if anyone else suffers from these disorders?

She has made up a treatment plan which consists of-
A better understanding of anxiety,
Relaxation techniques,
Graded exposure.
I really hope this works for me, has this worked for anyone else.

When I am in these situations i panic that i am going to lose control of my bladder and the therapist has made me realise that this isnt some terrible disease that only i have. She has told me it is a very common symptom which has made me feel better, i just hope and pray i will be able to overcome it!

Please share your stories with me x

[lisa1975]

hi i to suffer agraphobia which at first i thought was social phobia to till i went to cbt their seems to be a wide range of symptons when having a panic attack mines the feeling of im going to faint good luck with the therapy :)

[beautifulfreak77]

hi i also suffer with agoraphobia and panic disorder and have done a course of cbt,it helped me understand some of it a bit better but i have not got any better,i think i will have to try medication but im so scared of taking anything...i hope it works well for you,we are all different...i also thought i had social anxiety,it was quite scary to hear i had agoraphobia..

[ladymillion]

Thank you for your replies. Sorry to hear you both also have these. I always thought agrophbia was people who were housebound. Since starting CBT i have realised this is not the case. I wish you both the best of luck!

[beautifulfreak77]

i thought the same as you,and i really dont want to end up housebound..thank-you i wish you loads of luck too..you will have to let us know how you get on...:)

[lisa1975]

ive never been house bound with it but ive got 3 children so no matter how hard it was i had to do the school run at the time it was awfull this is going back 2 years .but lokking back it was a god send cos i didnt have an option but to go out so it stoped me from becoming house bound :)

[ladymillion]

Yes i would hate to become housebound too and i will do all that i can to make sure that does not happen too. I will keep you updated on my progress with CBT. good to hear from you x

[kittikat]

Hi Ladymillion,

I was diagnosed with Panic disorder and Agoraphobia by my therapist in April. I have been having CBT therapy similar to what you describe since then, initially 12 weekly sessions but my therapist is brilliant and has extended this twice now. I am due to finish mid November.

It has really helped me along with some hard work and determination. I have recently started taking an SNRI anti d med along with diazepam I already take, and I am continuing to improve and push my boundaries every week now.

Like others, I assumed being agoraphobic meant you couldn't leave the house (although I was housebound for nearly 3 months) but I have learned so much more about the condition and the reasons why I avoid certain situations and exist in a small comfort zone.

I can honestly say that CBT combined with my current medication has enabled me to see and work towards a more fulfilling and less anxious life. I really hope it's the same for you. I wish you the best of luck in your personal journey. :hugs:

Kitti :)

[mikes]

Ive never had CBT, but my best recommendation would be to treat it like a course you want to pass with flying colours. I was housebound for years, but not anymore. You'll be taught a new way to deal with stresses and hopefully what your triggers are that make you think in this unwanted way. You'll be taught how to avoid that.

If you arent great socially, and you have anxiety, its usual to have 100 worries floating around in your head at once. Most of that is clutter, its not needed, but thats why you'll feel overawed at times.

My advice, simplify your problems. Do you need to work on your confidence? If you had more confidence what would that do for you? For your life? Would it stop you from feeling nervous? Would you handle the events you are struggling with any better?

Replacing a head full of worry with 1 goal that does not intimidate you as far as your problems are concerned, that can help. Anxiety/panic/agoradoodah/disorder have more than likely already become trigger words that will cause a certain reaction within you, especially when it comes down to dealing with them. Its not very often that anyone can think clearly when they are bogged down with worries.

If you wanted to get more confidence, I suggest writing down some ideas so that you can see your plans presented clearly. Little things that might give you a rise in confidence, they can be personal things, things that matter to you. Small things are absolutely fine, as you start something like this with whatever you are comfortable with. Its small but it has a powerful effects when put in to practice. If you like the idea of that, just keep testing yourself. Make it your pet project, dont be afraid to enjoy it!

This stuff Im sure will be covered in your CBT. And I wish you the best of luck! You arent alone, there are probably enough of us to take over the country if we really wanted to. Everybody suffers with anxiety at some point in their life. Its good you are doing something about it, thats the MOST important thing. Good luck!

[ladymillion]

KittiKat i am glad the CBT is working out well for you. I have been referred through the NHS so i am not sure i will get that many sessions which is making me feel anxious but i am sure it will be fine ! i hope ! I definately need to discuss medication with my doctor too.
Mikes thankyou for your advise, i am glad to hear that you are no longer housebound. That is a big achievement so well done! I do need to work on my confidence. take care

[kittikat]

Just to let you know, my CBT is through the NHS too, so if you get a good one hopefully it will work out well for you too. I was very lucky.

Mikes has also given you some great advice. I wish you well and keep us posted with your progress. :hugs: Kitti xx

[Clarinha]

Hi LadyMillion,

Exactly the same fear as me so I can totally sympathise. I have been suffering on and off for 6 years now. My biggest advice when doing graded exposure is to drop all safety behaviours. I had CBT twice over the past years but the therapists never really emphasized that point and I believe that is the one reason I have not recovered yet. Safety behaviours might be things like always seating near the exit, wearing pads, controlling fluid intake, taking medication to control bladder/bowels, using distraction techniques to avoid the feeling of anxiety, etc. I cannot stress this point enough, it is a vital step for recovery and it's obviously easier said than done... I have just had major setbacks and when I regain some of my strength I will need to start the exposures again but properly this time!

Best of luck and let us know how you get on! :winks:

[ladymillion]

I started the thought records today, do you think they work?

[ladymillion]

Just wondering, because my therapist has told me i have agoraphobia and panic disorder, does this mean i have been diagnosed with this? Will it be on my medical records? Does anyone know?

[kittikat]

Your therapist will send a report to your GP which will outline the diagnosis, therefore I assume it will be on your medical records unless your GP has already noted your condition as I assume he/she refered you for therapy initially. Hope this helps and good luck with the therapy :hugs: x

[ladymillion]

Thank you Kittikat.

Clarinha, I am sorry i have just noticed your post. I wish you well with your graded exposure. I am doing mine just now and to be honest i really dont know what to do, i find it hard to find time to do it. i hope i overcome it and i hope you do too. I am scared that when the CBT ends i will still have it and be on my own with no medical help.

[Col]

:flowers:Hi, my story is far too long winded but, if you fancey a read my first couple of post and my first thread explains! Agrophobia is a shocker, it affects everything. Never think your on your own , no matter how tough it gets, you'll find that there are soo many people on here , worse off too. Last year I was struck down for the very First time in my life by panic attaks. The Panic attacks got soo bad that, I didn't dare risk going out, in fear I would get an overwhelming feeling of collapse , leading to a full blown panic attack. In the end I simply gave up and started to stay at home, more and more. When I eventually did go outside, the sunlight looked soo strange. Because I was physically unwell and very rundown I didn't have the confidence in my body & due to years of high level stress , my brain was ill too. You will find NMP a tremendous resource, durring theses times, takecare:flowers: