Do you suffer from Panic Disorder/Agoraphobia?
Hi,
I’m currently part of a drama group creating a play that deals with the issues of panic disorder and agoraphobia. We really want to have an honest, realistic portrayal of these conditions – would anybody be willing to share their experiences?
More specifically:
How does it affect your every day life?
What are the things you struggle with most?
Are there certain triggers for panic attacks?
Do you find it’s hard for others to understand?
And anything else you want to add. 
Really, anything personal – thoughts and feelings, stories of every day experiences – is the best. At the minute, we’ve got lots of medical lists of but nothing on how it actually feels to live with agoraphobia!
Thank you for your help!
I was involved in a near fatal car accident with a drunk driver and I was diagnosed with PTSD which was accompanied by acute panic disorder. I have panic attacks nearly every day, and they can last anywhere from an hour to 24 hours. I also had a touch of agoraphobia for about 3 months after my accident.
The agoraphobia aspect was terrible. Because I was in a car accident the very thought of being in another car would send me reeling in to a panic attack. I was terrified of anything outside of my door and in fact I had certain side of my couch that I HAD to sit on. If I sat anywhere else I would instantly have a panic attack. Through therapy and the love of my family and friends I conquered the agoraphobia aspect, but I’m sure I will always have panic attacks.
Absolutely my panic attacks affect my everyday life. I can have a panic attack in my sleep and wake up with one. I can have them as I’m driving to work, grocery shopping, I even had one during a job interview. The things I struggle with the most is definitely driving and trying to hide the fact that I’m having a panic attack. People who don’t know me and especially people who have never had a panic attack DO NOT understand. They have no idea what a nightmare having a panic attack is. The most common thing people tell me is to "Stop freaking out". That is the worst possible thing to say because I would LOVE to stop freaking out but my body/mind literally will not let me.
Literally anything can trigger a panic attack. For example: I recently saw the check engine light come on in my car and I immediately had a panic attack. My train of thought went like this: "OK your car is going to break down, probably on the freeway and you don’t have road side assistance so it will cost a fortune to tow your car, not to mention the cost of fixing whats wrong with the car. Then you wont be able to pay bills and you be buried under a mountain of debt and you’ll lose you apartment which means you’ll be out on the street and become homeless and die." Even though I can now see this thought process is irrational and ridiculous and there is no way my family or friends would let me go homeless, there is no way to think rationally when you are having a panic attack. I feel like my entire world is coming down around me and I’m going to die. There is also a physical side to my panic attacks. When I’m having a "grand mal" attack they are extremely painful and scary. Of course theres the feeling that an elephant is sitting on my chest and I cant breathe. There is also severe pain in my cheek bones and nose. My knees will lock and if I move them they feel like they are going to explode out of my skin. I also either lose complete feeling in my feet and hands or they constantly tingle like I’m holding something that is vibrating.
I hope this helps!
Comments
Comment from Donna Marie
Time January 12, 2010 at 4:06 am
I have both agoraphobia and severe panic attacks. The panic attacks are triggered by a multitude of things mostly that don’t make sense. If they made sense it would be fear not panic attacks. It effects my life in a multitude of ways. I can’t just go shopping because I always panic in groups of people, even if I know them. It’s hard to tell a panic attack from a heart attack sometimes. The only thing to do is take medication to help keep them at bay. Sometimes someone will knock at the door and I will panic and not be able to open the door. I have to medicate myself just to go to the doctor or to go anywhere where I have to get out of the truck. It feels sometimes as if I am locked inside a prison with no way to get out of it. Other times I am sure I am dying, although they tell me you can’t die from a panic attack. Sometimes one hits so strong I have to vomit, other times I can’t breathe and asthma inhalers don’t work. the agoraphobia is horrible, because I have to enlist help to take care of things outside of the house. I shop online so I can still get gifts for people I love. Shopping at a mall or big store is out even with the medicine- I just totally freak out and my heart races, I can’t get my breath, and the only way to get out is to walk through more people. I get so bad that sometimes I can’t even visit my son in his group home. Certain people have to be there working or I just can’t do it. Sometimes I get where I can’t even leave my bedroom except to use the bathroom which is connected. It really sucks because I am unable to attend family get togethers of more than 4 people so all my nieces and nephews think I don’t care about them when they really fill my heart with joy when i can see 1 at a time.
References :
Comment from Camille
Time January 12, 2010 at 4:47 am
I was involved in a near fatal car accident with a drunk driver and I was diagnosed with PTSD which was accompanied by acute panic disorder. I have panic attacks nearly every day, and they can last anywhere from an hour to 24 hours. I also had a touch of agoraphobia for about 3 months after my accident.
The agoraphobia aspect was terrible. Because I was in a car accident the very thought of being in another car would send me reeling in to a panic attack. I was terrified of anything outside of my door and in fact I had certain side of my couch that I HAD to sit on. If I sat anywhere else I would instantly have a panic attack. Through therapy and the love of my family and friends I conquered the agoraphobia aspect, but I’m sure I will always have panic attacks.
Absolutely my panic attacks affect my everyday life. I can have a panic attack in my sleep and wake up with one. I can have them as I’m driving to work, grocery shopping, I even had one during a job interview. The things I struggle with the most is definitely driving and trying to hide the fact that I’m having a panic attack. People who don’t know me and especially people who have never had a panic attack DO NOT understand. They have no idea what a nightmare having a panic attack is. The most common thing people tell me is to "Stop freaking out". That is the worst possible thing to say because I would LOVE to stop freaking out but my body/mind literally will not let me.
Literally anything can trigger a panic attack. For example: I recently saw the check engine light come on in my car and I immediately had a panic attack. My train of thought went like this: "OK your car is going to break down, probably on the freeway and you don’t have road side assistance so it will cost a fortune to tow your car, not to mention the cost of fixing whats wrong with the car. Then you wont be able to pay bills and you be buried under a mountain of debt and you’ll lose you apartment which means you’ll be out on the street and become homeless and die." Even though I can now see this thought process is irrational and ridiculous and there is no way my family or friends would let me go homeless, there is no way to think rationally when you are having a panic attack. I feel like my entire world is coming down around me and I’m going to die. There is also a physical side to my panic attacks. When I’m having a "grand mal" attack they are extremely painful and scary. Of course theres the feeling that an elephant is sitting on my chest and I cant breathe. There is also severe pain in my cheek bones and nose. My knees will lock and if I move them they feel like they are going to explode out of my skin. I also either lose complete feeling in my feet and hands or they constantly tingle like I’m holding something that is vibrating.
I hope this helps!
References :
Life!
Comment from Catalina
Time January 12, 2010 at 5:13 am
Hey, I understand how you feel…
The uncomfortable symptoms like sweaty palms, "jelly" legs, extreme alertness, "impending doom" feeling and the fight-or-flight response.
I’ve been there. I’m an ex-victim. Sometimes the deep breathing or distraction techniques doesn’t work – a full-blown panic or anxiety attack happens later.
Sometimes you experience panic attack out of the blue and such.
Do NOT buy Panic Away, Linden Method, EasyCalm or the Panic Puzzle. They do NOT work – I’ve tried them and their solutions are similar – it DOESN’T WORK.
Medications do NOT work – I was under many antidepressants (Prozac, Lexapro, Paxil and Zoloft) and anti-anxiety medications (Ativan, Klonopin, and Xanax) but my condition was the same – no improvement at all.
The only program that really work is The Panic Attack Solution. It’s found by an ex-victim. You can check out his old blog in his official website to read up some useful tips.
But the package is the best – it teaches 17 powerful techniques and the real solution to panic attacks. I’ve bought it and it really helped me – it’s the BEST anti-anxiety package or book I’ve read.
His theory really makes sense and it works effectively!
You will learn why your panic attacks can happen without warning sometimes; why having stimulant causes panic attacks; and many-many other useful tips!
Check out his official website:
http://www.ThePanicAttackSolution.com
References :
Comment from Chrona
Time January 12, 2010 at 5:27 am
Hey… Victoria here, maybe my personal story can give you some solace…
a lil about me- about a year after my husband left me and my daughter died about 5 years ago.. I was at a very difficult point in my life, and was ultimately diagnosed with depression, severe anxiety, and panic disorder. I would say that i’ve always for the most part been a little depressed and had some degree of anxiety, but this just completely tipped the scale. I remember there were days on end I would just lie in bed, and whenever I would be in a social environment my anxiety would go through the roof and I would often have panic attacks. Therapy never seemed to be effective for me, and my psych put me on damn near every med out there. I’ve been on everything from wellbutrin to paxil, zoloft, prozac, lexapro, celexa, buspar, valium, klonopin, xanax.. etc. Sometimes 2-3 different ones in combo at the same time. Nothing really seemed to work for me. With the exception of some of the benzos (klono./xanax) .. these worked well for a little while, but I grew tolerance quickly, and became highly addicted.
Then one day while researching online i came across this reputable looking website http://www.anxiety.pcti-system.com .. which talked about this program to eliminate your anxiety for good, all naturally. Long story short, I wound up signing up to try it and the program worked amazing.. Not only do I no longer have panic attacks and anxiety gone, but my depression has also seemed to dissipate a little. And I’m currently starting to slowly ween off the meds I’m on. >>>>
I would personally say that possibly the biggest driving factor in all this is OCD. I think obsessing and constantly having your thoughts focused on your own condition and constantly analyzing your own thoughts/actions plays a very significant role in the persistence of our ails. Almost like the condition is a small lit fire, and OCD is the fuel that keeps it consistently burning… Also, I’ve come to the conclusion that meds are generally a unhealthy short term cure that only semi-treats the symptoms, and never the cause. Hope I was of some help!
References :
Comment from Leeann
Time January 12, 2010 at 3:53 am
I suffer from severe panic disordr and severe agoraphobia. Heat triggers my panic attacks. I sweat horribly, and my face is bright red. I get very nervous and weak and i want to cry all of the time. I have a hard time leaving the house and being around people. I was raped by a familoymember when i was 7 years old and now i am almost 33. my problems did not reach the surface until i was 25 years old. my life changed overnight, i had just started a good job at a popular furniture store and the next day i had to quit. i applied for disability and was accepted within 2 weeks. Iam scared of peole and cannot have my back to them if i am in a restaurant. i am afraid that someone i going to hurt me. i go to a doctor once a month and i have tried every option there is and nothing works, so i am suffering horribly everyday. I have to have a fan on me at all times to keep me cool; i am a prisoner in my own home. this was also inhderited from my moms side of the family. my mom was born with it and did not get better until she was in her fifties . luckily paxil works for her, i tried it 4 times at very high doses and it did nothing. my past has literally come back to haunt me. if i think whazt happened to me i will break out in a panic attack, these things are disabling and they absolutely ruin and run your life.
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