Anybody out there?

[2hoot39]

i'm 28yrs in a happy relationship but I have been off work since April with depression/anxiety/agoraphobia whatever it is. Been on different medication taken 4 overdose and am so frustrated. The thought of going back to work completely freaks me out i cant leave the house alone fear of people judging me, cant walk up the garden to put the washing out, cant get the post out of the porch, open the curtains or take the dog out. I do see specialists but feel I'm a burden they feel they are not getting anywhere with me, just wondered if there is anyone out there that hears me.

2hoot39

 

[unlucky]

I feel your pain. I'm the exact same. I can leave the house if I've got my hubby with me but apart from that I'm basically housebound and the walls are closing in on me!! I've been like this for nearly 2 years and I've had psychologists and psychiatrists but nothing seems to work. I'm now getting CBT so we'll see how that goes. If I try to go out myself I get a panic attack and I lose all the feeling in my fingers and can hardly breathe then I get a terrible headache. I've also got irritable bowel syndrome and neck and shoulder pain because of my anxiety. Its not nice!! So please don't feel you're on your own.
Oh and I'm the same as you - I'm married to a wonderful man and have a great daughter so trying to pinpoint whats triggered this is very difficult!!

 

[2hoot39]

thank you for replying I also cant pinpoint what has triggered it I know from an early age i was never that happy/confident and have never been to the shops alone. My doctor really wants me to get back to work but I just dont feel like i can which leads to worrying about money and relying on my fiance its so frustrating.

 

[unlucky]

I'd love to get back into work but even if I could leave the house theres no way I could go through an interview. I know everyone gets nervous but I turn into a blithering idiot!! I wish there was something I could do from home but then that really doesn't solve anything!!

 

[2hoot39]

I've been told about cbt therapy what is it?

 

[unlucky]

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy - Its about changing your behaviours and the way you think about thing. I've only had 2 sessions so far so I'm really not sure what its all about. TBH to me its just plain scary because they're telling me I'm going to have leave the house and the very thought makes me feel sick. Apparently this won't be for a while but its still a scary thought and I'm a bit pessimistic about whether it'll work but I'm at the stage where I'll try anything!!

 

[limpit]

At first CBT will seem scary but once you get into the swing of it, it can become a very useful skill to have. Basically it involves looking at "hot thoughts" and putting a rational view on your emotions. For example you may feel very anxious about people judging you, but when you look deeper you may realise you feel a combination of emotions that stem from a single thought. You can then start to look at why that thought affects you in that way, and whether its rational or not.

In my case a lot of my anxiety stems from very trivial things that my mind exaggerates, but once I've have identified the cause its a lot easier to solve. I've probably not explained it very well lol but I'd definitely advise trying it, if you feel uncomfortable with it no one will force you to continue you with it.

 

[2hoot39]

Is it one on one or a group thing?

 

[unlucky]

Its one on one, I can't deal with group therapy. I think it works for some people but when I went it made me ten times worse!!

 

[2hoot39]

I wouldn't be able to do a group thing couldn't cope with all of the people.

 

[unlucky]

Do you have a CPN? They come to your house to do the therapy stuff so that its not as stressful for you to attend. Maybe you could ask your gp about this.

 

[2hoot39]

No, one place where I had to go were going to sort that out for me but because I said I had a glass of wine sometimes in the week he decided he wouldn't help he thought that was the issue. I would ask but I feel like I would be wasting everybodies time.

 

[unlucky]

Funnily enough, when I got my cpn she went on about alcohol for ages and seemed to think that was the issue even though I only get a drink on a Saturday night. I think they'd be happier to put it down to a drink problem causing the shakes and the panic rather than deal with the real issue! I think if I were you I'd broach the subject of a cpn with your Pysch and see if this would be possible as I really don't think you should have been discounted from this because you have a glass of wine during the week. Unless it really is an issue for you.