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Jamesflames
01-11-15, 17:29
Hi all. I have been struggling with agoraphobia for about 3 years now and it has made my work a bit difficult. I work for a local council doing inspections of properties for various reasons. I did have responsibility for about half of the local district, which covers just over 200 sq miles, so I had to do about 100 sq miles of mainly countryside. The agoraphobia has made it more or less impossible for me to get to the further half of this area. Luckily about half of the properties in the area are in my town which I feel mostly ok about travelling around. However, the further I get from my home town, the worse I feel. This has got worse over the last 3 years too. Initially I felt able to go anywhere so long as I was near to my car but this is no longer the case.

I have recently agreed with my colleague that she will do more of the rural work and I will do all of the home town work along with some nearby villages and towns that I feel just about ok to get to. However, I feel pretty bad about having neglected my work in the further places.

It has suddenly appeared that my close colleague may have to take 6-9 months off work which is worrying me a bit. She has been really supportive so I worry about how I will cope without her.

Because I have been hoping to recover, I haven't really spoken to my bosses about this. I have had a couple of chats with HR because I think my nearest colleagues have been worried about me. The HR manager is pretty supportive in general but I haven't asked for any specific help. My direct team leader also knows that I am struggling, but I haven't asked for any specific help either.

With the possibility of my colleague being away for a while I am thinking I need to arrange a meeting with my team leader to let her know that I am a bit worried about things. Seeking help is a bit against my nature so I am kind of nervous about this.

Being an anxious type I can't help but worry that my bosses will decide that I am not competent enough and try to get rid of me. I keep reminding myself that, because my first few agoraphobic panics happened at work, I can play the work-related disability card if I get any hassle, although I doubt it would come to that. I am also fairly confident that, if my bosses did cause problems, my GP would be able to sign me off for a while, and if I spent my working hours doing intense CBT & exposure therapy for a month or two, I would be able to get myself a lot better.

Sorry for the epic vent! How are you other agoraphobics coping with work?

jayb1
01-11-15, 18:36
I think your work mates sound really supportive and understanding and I don't think they'd want to lose a good employee. Seeking therapy is a good idea. I have been off work for almost 12 months now and only managing to get out of the house if I have somebody with me . CBT didn't work for me as I found the sessions too rushed so I'm having intensive psychotherapy, but I have suffered from agoraphobia for 20 years. Good luck to you

Jamesflames
02-11-15, 08:23
Cheers for your reply Jayb1. Yes, my colleagues are mostly great. I do think work would struggle to replace me. Also I am a union member which hopefully means I can get plenty of support if things do start to go bad.

I had a couple of courses of CBT a while ago and also found that they were a little bit rushed. I don't know where I would access something like psychotherapy. My feeling at the moment is that I just need to keep pushing myself. I have been trying to do at least one thing each day that I feel uncomfortable about, which has been things like walking further from my car than feels 'safe' or cycling further. It feels like a positive step, and I'm not running away when the panic comes up; Just riding it and watching it 'til it fades.

I think I might try to grab a meeting with my boss, and tell her how I feel. Generally I have found it a relief when I let people know what is happening.

Chipotle
02-11-15, 08:40
James I work for a local authority too. Part of my job involves visiting businesses to do enforcement action. I have had so many confrontations in the past I think it all finally caught up with me and I have difficulty going to some premises. Local authority is often good at dealing with staff that have anxiety and stress issues. My boss has been very good so far and I would definitely have a chat with yours as soon as you can. Your HR may have access to therapies as well. Hope it goes well.

MyNameIsTerry
02-11-15, 09:04
James,

A GP will easily sign someone off if work is impacting on their anxiety. It's better to stay in work really but a GP won't hesitate if he/she or you think it is needed. Your GP can also use the FIT note to detail a restricted duties need.

Local Authorities will have occupational health teams, my mum's did, and they can easily refer you to them. OHT's often will just see staff anyway outside of any formal need and when I did this at my company (private) they told me that if it was a self referral they would not discuss it with my manager or HR but if referred to them by them, they kept one report at their side and wrote a separate one back to HR/LM. Perhaps check out your company processes, they should really be online (maybe an intranet) with anywhere large thesedays.

Regardless of whether your anxiety is work based or not, it can still apply equally for cover under the Act. You will have cover under disability as mental health disorders were added year ago to the older Disability Act prior to the new overarching Act coming in. Your employer has a duty of care and a line manager can act on that if they are aware of the situation even if you haven't formerly approached them so perhaps thats a good sign in a way? That they don't believe it is significantly impacting your abilities since they could easily invoke a Capability process otherwise.

From an employers perspective they want to ensure the service takes place so whether they need to make changes to who covers what to incorporate a "reasonable adjustment", is something I would have been looking at if I were the manager. Can you think of ways they can cover you as your colleague did?

Jamesflames
03-11-15, 18:25
James I work for a local authority too. Part of my job involves visiting businesses to do enforcement action. I have had so many confrontations in the past I think it all finally caught up with me and I have difficulty going to some premises. Local authority is often good at dealing with staff that have anxiety and stress issues. My boss has been very good so far and I would definitely have a chat with yours as soon as you can. Your HR may have access to therapies as well. Hope it goes well.

Chipotle, I can easily see how enforcement work would lead to high anxiety. I occasionally get 'confrontational' bits of work which I'm not keen on at all. At least it sounds like your authority is treating you well.

Terry, when I mentioned getting signed off work etc. I was more catastrophising than anything! I don't think it would be best at all, but was rather just thinking about worst-case scenarios.

I did ask my immediate boss for a meeting yesterday and explained to her how I felt. She was very reassuring and said that she was aware that I would need support with getting the job done. It felt incredibly good to properly explain my problems and I feel a lot more positive now.

I'm pretty sure that work, and the union as well, have access to various different therapies and other means of support, but I am feeling that I am making some quite positive steps myself at the moment. I have had a couple of courses of CBT and, whilst it is easier said than done, the lessons have stayed with me. I've made a personal policy to ensure that I do at least one thing each day that will help.

Thanks for your kind words. It is very comforting to hear from others in the same boat!