Any agoraphobics about?

[MrsBertMacklin]

Hoping for some advice.

I've has anxiety attacks since my mum died a few years ago, I received CBT at the time.

These have developed into agoraphobia in the last year or two (self diagnosed).

My question is, if I've already had CBT for anxiety disorder, will my gp offer any thing else?

I can get attacks under control 8 /10 times, but still avoid very high trigger situations and if possible, would like to kill the triggers all together.

Is it worth a GP visit?

Sorry to hear you're going through all this. I've had agoraphobia for almost 2 years. Its got so much better in the last few months though.

I never had CBT but I did do exposure therapy. Its incredibly helpful. I also had hypnotherapy with a kind of CBT/exposure therapy bit at the start. Its hard to know what worked best but I think it was the exposure therapy mostly. It builds your confidence hugely because you realise the more you do these things and the longer you go without anything bad happening the easier it is to go out and the less it even enters your mind.

I'm still working on it and I was told to write a list of easiest places to go all the way up to hardest and use that as a ladder to work my way up. I'm very close to the top now so it does work well when you keep at it!

Good luck, I know how horrible it can be.

Thank you for replying. So it spymaster like it's worth asking for more professional help, that's good.

spymaster sounds

I've had argrophobia for about 2 years, it started when I had HG and it has never left me

Do you have problems along side not going out like picking up the phone?

Mines got to the point where I need help but can't ask because of the agrophobia

Do you have a fear of going out or do you just prefer and feel more comfortable at home? I find that I will find any excuse to tell myself why I can't go out today x

Mine is super fun. It's triggered by being somewhere, being really hot or needing the toilet, and not knowing how/being able to escape.

Then each new place this happens, that place in itself becomes a trigger, even if it's not hot or I don't need the toilet, when I visit there again.

I've managed to fight through getting them in traffic jams, but I can't do trains in rush hour or certain shops or public places.

Candle, are you unableto get help because you can't go to the surgery, is a telephone appointment possible?

I had anxiety a couple of years ago, previously had depression then my mum was diagnosed with cancer which triggered panic attacks. Then i went away to uni where i didnt get on very well and it developed into anxiety and agoraphobia. I did have cbt for anxiety but this was way before uni so when i went back gp was very dissmissive and just wanted to put me on anti depressants and diazapam. The diazapam helped get me over the worst, the antidepressants did help in shirt/long term and then gradual changes i made myself helped. It wasnt easy though, i feel for you. Anxiety is awful and people who havnt experienced true anxiety don't understand how debilitating it is. I had to stop driving (scared u was going to panic attack and crash which made me have a panic attack on motorway once and scared the crap out of me). I ended up in hospital after having a seizure brought on by so much stress...its awful but you can get better. Im now married and have a child and am pill free and coping well!

Spilly, congratulations on getting on top of it.
I need to get back onto trains, I'm starting a course soon with no option to drive.

Looking at mindfulness training, but Def going to book gp visit this week.

I don't think it's going to the surgery as such but more making that step to pickup the phone and speak to people.

I keep getting voice mails from my mental health nurse because she would like to visit me but I can't bring myself to answer the phone

God it feels weird writing this as know one knows as I always have an excuse and I know I need help, I'm currently 6 mo this pregnant and suffer severe antenatal depression and I guess I'm hoping that when the baby's out I go back to normal?

There is a fairly new type of therapy called BWRT, not many people have heard of it yet but it is really good for anxiety based problems like agarophobia. There is a website www.bwrt.org where you can find someone in your area but sadly you wont get NHS funding for it. The good thing is that it works really quickly. (I am a hypnotherapist and have also trained in BWRT and have used it with quite a few of my clients and they have lived ur, last week I used it on a lady with a fear if heights and she just messaged me to say she walked across the Clifton suspension bridge..twice!)

Loved it. Not loved ur!