Question:
I had this problem now for years, I remember a panic attack years ago
my first one it was my worse one "well I believe now it was a panic
attack". Then it more or less subsided and I was ok for many years. Now
I got it again bad. I have had aporaphobia and panic disorder now for a
good 10 years or longer I am 52 years old I do not go anywhere cause of
this sickness. I am looking for someone maybe recovering from this
problem or has completely recovered from it. I would compensate the
person for there time. Maybe a person to come and talk with me once a
week or so.
Answer:
They always say the first panic attack is the first and I can attest to
that.
Have you searched your local community to see if there are any support
groups for people with anxiety disorders?
I had severe agoraphobia back in the 80's and with the help of meds, and learning new anxiety tools I have come a long way. I highly doubt you are going to get anyone to come to your house. Even
people (non professional) who are not anxious are not going to want to go to
a strangers house. I think I remember you saying you had a therapist or
some kind of professional coming to your house before, can you get that kind
of help again?
At one time I was agoraphobic and I got back out of the house via baby
steps. At the time my daughter was entering kindergarten and I had to get
her on the bus in the morning which was right in front of my house. I had
to bring a chair and sit because going outside made me feel like I was going
to faint. I did this for year....... Now I also didn't know that I had
panic/anxiety at the time so it was even more scary. The following year I had to take her to the bus stop which was 1 block away.
I would feel weak and faint with every step that took me further away from
home. Some days I would have to sit on the side of the road and a neighbor
who also had a daughter in 1st grade would walk my daughter the rest of the
way. Finally I decided to buy a used car so I could sit (drive) instead of
walk to the bus stop. The only car we could afford was a POS and I was just
as nervous to drive it as I was to walk. I was finally diagnosed with Panic
disorder but that didn't seem to help. After almost 6 months of driving to
the bus stop I was getting comfortable (almost) with it. I realized that
the world was not making me anxious, I was making me anxious. Leaving the
house was not making me anxious, my perception of the world was making me
anxious. One morning as I drove home from the bus stop I decided to drive
around the block instead of going directly home. I did this for months,
getting a bit more comfortable and then decided to drive an extra block on
the way home ........ hence, baby steps.
