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agoraphobia - Please Help

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Posted 5/12/2007 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone! I am one of the moderators from the Depression forum and we had a new member post today about this topic so I was really hoping that someone here could give her some insight into this or at least some suggestions.

Thank you so much!

Elisha

Mary-Ellen said...I have been having some angoraphobia lately but I do not get the pounding chest or dizziness others with panic disorders describe??  I get ready to go out, have my hand on the door and then decided I do not really need to go out??  When I really really need to go out for say like groceries, I go and do not have symptoms of a panic attack.  I have not left my apartment in 4 days.  My son's are coming to take me out to lunch tomorrow and I am looking of ways to just stay home and cook here.  Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  (I am being treated for depression I take wellbutrin 300mg.)

Posted 5/12/2007 11:11 PM (GMT 0)
Well, when my girlfriend and I had a temporary split up and a couple months later she was married to some guy, I got really depressed. This was a number of years ago and my funk lasted quite a while. It got pretty deep, too. I remember taking a vacation from work and not going anywhere. Literally. I sat in my place all day and night for nearly two whole weeks. I subsisted on junk food from the corner store, which was literally 500 feet or so from my front door. That's the only place I went.

The best way I can describe the feeling is, "Why bother? Why leave when there's nothing I want to do out there?". My friends would knock on the door and I'd pretend not to be home.

It's similar to agoraphobia in that the person doesn't want to leave, but it might be for different reasons. I'm not sure about that lady. Not all panic attacks come with dizziness and a pounding chest. Mine didn't. She could be having a modified panic attack with different symptoms or just a really deep depression. Later on I got modified or atypical panic attacks, and just before I started getting better I began getting mildly agoraphobic. It started with not wanting to go to particular places, and then eventually I didn't really go anywhere. When I did try to go somewhere I'd get an attack just about every time.

Suggestions? She should go to her doctor and explain what she's been doing. He may change her dose, her meds, or want her to do something else. No matter what she does, the doctor needs to be a part of it. In the meantime, if she's not getting panic attacks then I might suggest that she sit on her porch, fire escape, balcony, or whatever. Just to expose herself to a little wider world.
Posted 5/12/2007 11:24 PM (GMT 0)

Thank you for your kind words.  What you described after your break up is almost exactly what I have been going through for the past month.  I am not sure it is agoraphobia (sp??).  I am afraid I will run into someone from work (I have been off work for the past month dealing with this depression) and I just do not know what to say??  No one from work has called over the past month to see if I am still or alive or when I might be coming back.  As I said before I am not sure it is agoraphobia or panic attacks, maybe it is just shame and guilt for being depressed??  I know that sounds silly but there it is.  I have been depressed for a long long time and this is the first time I have sought treatment.  I find the wellbutrin (I have been on it for a month) gives me lots of energy (I can get out of bed and get work done around the apartment) but I am still depressed??  Once again thank you for your help, it is good to talk to someone who has an idea of what I am going through.

Mary-Ellen   (I copied and pasted most of this from the depression forum sorry for the repetition but I need all the help I can get!!)

Posted 5/12/2007 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
Wellbutrin and those types of meds take a while to start working. How long have you been on it? If it's been a while and you don't feel like you're making the kind of improvement you'd like, discuss it with your doctor and maybe he'll try something else.

I was on Wellbutrin once and it didn't do a single thing for me. I have a friend who it transformed into the person I hadn't known for years, though. You can never tell with this stuff. They say (and I don't know this first hand) that a good psychiatrist might be able to eliminate some of the trial and error when it comes to these medications. It's their specialty so it stands to reason they'd know more about them and how they work than a family doctor would. Anytime you're off work I think you need to do everything you can to speed your recovery and get back into the swing of normal life. Ultimately, that's the only way you're going to defeat depression (getting back into doing something you like). Sometimes you need help getting to the point that you're open to recovery, though, and that's where the meds are really helpful.

Unfortunately I have experience with both depression and anxiety/panic, and I can tell you they're eerily similar yet completely different at the same time.

edit -- hopefully the mods won't get all moddy and will let Mary-Ellen continue the concurrent threads. She may need two distinct perspectives on this one.
Posted 5/13/2007 1:02 AM (GMT 0)
I have my first appt. with the physchiatrist next week and am hoping to get this under control.  I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel (very faint but it is there).  I appreciate your advice, it helps to write it down and get it out.  It is easier to write it than to say it out loud to the doctors.  It took a complete melt down for me to bring it up with my family doctor.  I have never been to a physchiatrist before and am not really sure what to expect. 

Mary-Ellen

Posted 5/13/2007 2:44 AM (GMT 0)
Mary-Ellen,
Do you think you could share the experience of your first appointment following your visit? There are some folks here that could really benefit. I have an awesome psychiatrist - even if your first isn't good, I can testify that there are some great, compassionate psychiatrist's out there - so don't give up on them.
Posted 5/13/2007 3:32 AM (GMT 0)
I most definately will let you all know how it goes. I am awaiting word on a transfer from work to a different store. I am truly disgusted with the way I have been treated by my coworkers!!! New town, new physchiatrist, new life I hope. Thank you all for your welcome and support!!!
Mary-Ellen
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