Definition of agrophobia

[hove_peter]

Noisy, at one of the Monday evening meetings I said that I had read a definition of agrophobia written by Prof Adrian Wells in the "Anxious Times" magazine (National Phobics Society), and here it is:

"Agrophobia is defined as a fear of having panic attacks or anxiety in a situation from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing or in which help may not be available in the event of having a panic [sic].  As a result the sufferer typically avoids a range of situations including being alone, being away from home, being in crowded places, or in travel situations".

Well at least we can put a name to our condition, it's nothing to do with fear of open spaces then.  Wikipedia has quite an interesting article on the subject.

Incidentally, Prof Wells gives excellent advice in my opinion.  He rates CBT quite highly by the way.

Peter

[zube]

yep cbt is working slowly for me....

although im working my way to lewes on the train and the journey between polegate and lewes is an absoulutely killer. i keep throwing myself into my newspaper to escape looking out the windows at the vastness of fields. Still not able to cope with this yet but im determined and im going to keep trying and i WILL make one of the meetings.

it's been a mixture of emotions for me this week on tues i took a bunch of students ( im a teacher) to bexhill on the train for an art exhibition and i was fairly fine  even though i was a little worried about being responsible for them. I was sooooo pleased with myself tues night but then weds came i took a trip to lewes and i was wondering whether im ever going to lead a normal life again....

There is one thing though i appreciate places a lot more than i ever did before i havnt travelled anywhere in years and this last year even towns on my doorsteps i feel i'm truly seeing them for the first time. i take  everything i see in and store lovingly. i have visualised it all through hazy memories over the years and im busy comparing old memories, my imagination's images made up through people's conversations and what im seeing at that present time. It truly is amazing to have so much appreciation for your surroundings.

[hove_peter]

hello zube, so from your reaction to your train journey between Polegate and Lewes I gather that there are folk with a fear of wide open spaces then.

May I ask, did you get your CBT through the NHS via your GP?

[zube]

thats how my agorophobia started open spaces but it extended to motor ways and long roads too, i think as you explained its more aboutago  being in places there is no escape from.  i had to private for cbt waiting list was way to long and i was in a real bad place last year, fortunately i was able to afford to do it.

[Noisy]

Hi Peter and Zube, I hope you're both well.

Noisy, at one of the Monday evening meetings I said that I had read a definition of agrophobia written by Prof Adrian Wells in the "Anxious Times" magazine (National Phobics Society), and here it is:

"Agrophobia is defined as a fear of having panic attacks or anxiety in a situation from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing or in which help may not be available in the event of having a panic [sic].  .......

I totally agree with Dr Wells' statement. At my first Psychiatric assessment I was quite surprised to be told that agoraphobia didn't exist!
I describe my problems in different ways depending on the situation. ie I'll say that I can't go camping because of my agoraphobia but I might say that I can't work due to anxiety and panic attacks. In my case, I think the real description would be severe generalised anxiety with panic attacks. I just don't want to be outside or 'exposed' when I'm anxious but it's not the outside world that is the cause.

The bottom line is ..... I don't trust that I won't panic when outside. I hate panic attacks 100% and I hate outdoor panic attacks 150% (Sorry Zube if you're a maths teacher! )

My kind of anxiety seems to encompass most flavours and means that I have no 'safe' place. I often get mono-phobia (fear of being alone) and have panic attacks whether inside or out. Being outside raises the stakes for me and that's what causes the problems. Anxious people don't like to roll the dice any more than they have to!

[Noisy]

yep cbt is working slowly for me....

although im working my way to lewes on the train and the journey between polegate and lewes is an absoulutely killer. i keep throwing myself into my newspaper to escape looking out the windows at the vastness of fields. Still not able to cope with this yet but im determined and im going to keep trying and i WILL make one of the meetings.

it's been a mixture of emotions for me this week on tues i took a bunch of students ( im a teacher) to bexhill on the train for an art exhibition and i was fairly fine  even though i was a little worried about being responsible for them. I was sooooo pleased with myself tues night but then weds came i took a trip to lewes and i was wondering whether im ever going to lead a normal life again....

There is one thing though i appreciate places a lot more than i ever did before i havnt travelled anywhere in years and this last year even towns on my doorsteps i feel i'm truly seeing them for the first time. i take  everything i see in and store lovingly. i have visualised it all through hazy memories over the years and im busy comparing old memories, my imagination's images made up through people's conversations and what im seeing at that present time. It truly is amazing to have so much appreciation for your surroundings.

I know that journey well! I elected to study an HND in Brighton (less stressful than a degree) but was told at the very last minute that I'd have to travel to Hastings College! I did it on and off but ultimately couldn't make it to St Leonards everyday and had to quit.   
I have mixed feelings about getting past Lewes. The scenery and openness is lovely and although in one sense it's leaving town, in another it feels like nothing is in the way of my journey and I usually get that very 'train-like' feeling of getting there without the impedance of traffic jams.
I don't read a newspaper but I used to take an mp3 player, a laptop, a games console ...... I made sure that if I felt a bit dodgy that I had enough distractions to get me home! I had some 'emergency films' on my laptop so I could just watch them, very intensely, until I got back into Brighton. I must have looked a bit daft wearing that big rucksack every day!

I'm getting out and about a lot more too and I can really identify with your experiences. I hadn't lived in Brighton very long before I became ill. It's quite exhilarating to finally be out there and joining up the dots.

It sounds like you've got the right attitude Zube. Your doing it and coping and you ought to take pride in that. Doesn't sound like you're going to give up either!

Did the responsibilty of being with the students turn out to be a problem or did you find that it focussed your mind on the 'real world'?

[zube]

i thought the responsibility would be an issue but i think talking to them made me concentrate on the 'real' world more so
 although i wasnt panic free they were just fleeting moments and the positive thoughts were definitely over riding the negatives ones.

i get what you mean about trafic jams not sure i can handle one of those just yet. So good to actually talk to someone that actually gets what i mean i have very understanding friends that listen and try to understand what im babbling on about but you can rarely convey the complexity of it even to everyones individual panics.

im off to brighton this weds as i think its time to take that next step but it wont be untill after 5 so i miss the meeting. but when ive
 managed it a few times im going to take a day off work especially to meet you guys.

Tracey x