pjb
27-02-10, 14:51
Hi all,
I've been suffering from GAD & it slowly developed into Agoraphobia.
At the moment, I"m pretty much house bound. I haven't been out in about 2 months.
I would really like to start medication (leaning towards lexapro) along with cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt), and hypnotherapy but am terrified to even go out and get the prescription or to meet with somebody.
What do I do?
Is there a way I can do therapy over the phone or online (even if it's just to start?)
Can I get a prescription that way?
What do people do in these situations?
It's such a catch 22. I can't go out, but in order to get better at going out, I have to go out, but how do you make the first steps into getting better before you're at the going out stage?
A little bit about my situation:
I work from home and am semi-new to the city I live in, so don't know that many people. I live with my boyfriend which is great. He really understands and helps a lot.
Anyways, these past 2 months, I did a ton of research on everything and have felt better as I understand things really well now and feel confident in that I am digesting all the good information I've found.
However, I still cannot go out around people, meetings, interviews, parties, the store, the car, nowhere.
I can walk around the block in the middle of the night and be fine, go on a short bike ride, but that's it.
Mainly I'm taking baby steps, going out everyday, even if just to walk around or sit on the porch, meditation, eating right, started exercising, I'm taking st. john's wart and omega 3 fish oil. I started learning about eft and chakra balancing, have a creative outlet, and am practicing the One Move Technique from PanicAway.com (which is absolutely amazing!).
For me, I think the best things to get better will be a combo of the above + medication, cbt, hypnotherapy, and acupuncture. However, these last few are probably the most crucial, but also the hardest for an agoraphobic to start.
What do I do? :yahoo:
I've been suffering from GAD & it slowly developed into Agoraphobia.
At the moment, I"m pretty much house bound. I haven't been out in about 2 months.
I would really like to start medication (leaning towards lexapro) along with cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt), and hypnotherapy but am terrified to even go out and get the prescription or to meet with somebody.
What do I do?
Is there a way I can do therapy over the phone or online (even if it's just to start?)
Can I get a prescription that way?
What do people do in these situations?
It's such a catch 22. I can't go out, but in order to get better at going out, I have to go out, but how do you make the first steps into getting better before you're at the going out stage?
A little bit about my situation:
I work from home and am semi-new to the city I live in, so don't know that many people. I live with my boyfriend which is great. He really understands and helps a lot.
Anyways, these past 2 months, I did a ton of research on everything and have felt better as I understand things really well now and feel confident in that I am digesting all the good information I've found.
However, I still cannot go out around people, meetings, interviews, parties, the store, the car, nowhere.
I can walk around the block in the middle of the night and be fine, go on a short bike ride, but that's it.
Mainly I'm taking baby steps, going out everyday, even if just to walk around or sit on the porch, meditation, eating right, started exercising, I'm taking st. john's wart and omega 3 fish oil. I started learning about eft and chakra balancing, have a creative outlet, and am practicing the One Move Technique from PanicAway.com (which is absolutely amazing!).
For me, I think the best things to get better will be a combo of the above + medication, cbt, hypnotherapy, and acupuncture. However, these last few are probably the most crucial, but also the hardest for an agoraphobic to start.
What do I do? :yahoo: