Greetings,
It is that time of year, well it is supposed to be but it
does not feel like it, spring is right around the corner which means that it is
time for this agoraphobic gurl time to come out of hiding. Not that I have
actually been hiding, so some progress is being made, it is more of a coming
out of hibernation for me. If you follow me, you know I don’t do particularly
well in the “dark” months. Well the days are getting longer and staying
brighter so pretty soon it is time to be stepping out a little more. For
example I need to make my appointment with Doctor Bob (my therapist), I know I
know, I still have not done it. I probably should make an appointment with my
OB/GYN too, but that is a whole different ball game that you probably don’t
need to know about. It is just getting close to my time to venture out on my
own. That is the REALLY hard part, the on my own.
I was talking to someone today and I realized that a certain amount of progress has been
made in my life. I reflect back to the point a few
years ago when I would hide on the floor if my landlord, or the Schwan’s man
were outside, so progress is being made. Not quick progress, but at least we
are heading in the right direction. One should not be hiding from the Schwan’s
man, he has products containing chocolate!
I think it is time to revisit some “technical” stuff. What
is the cause of agoraphobia? Well, experts are not
completely sure what the exact causes of agoraphobia are. Most believe that
they are a result of physical and/or psychological factors. A “rouge”
complication of a panic disorder gone wrong.
According to the DSM-IV
Diagnostic Criteria for Agoraphobia, a patient suffers from agoraphobia if:
·
The person
is anxious about being in a place or situation where escape or help may be
difficult in the event of a panic attack, or panic like symptoms. Examples are
being in a crowd or travelling on a bus.
·
The person
avoids these places (described above).
·
The person
endures these places (described above) with extreme anxiety.
·
The person
endures these places (described above) only with the help of a friend or
companion.
·
There is no
other underlying condition that may explain the person's symptoms.
We need to remember that anxiety disorders come in different
forms. So what is an anxiety order EXACTLY? They can be a couple of things,
none of which are fun.
·
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
·
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
·
Panic
Disorder
·
Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD)
·
Social Phobia
(or Social Anxiety Disorder)
I might be missing something here, please remember I am not
a professional, I have just been trying to educate myself in my personal
journey to insanity…and back.
A person with Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a person who
worries A LOT!
- Worry about everyday things
- Have trouble controlling their worries
- Know that they worry much more
than they should
- Not be able to relax
- Have a hard time concentrating
- Be easily startled
- Have trouble falling asleep or
staying asleep
- Feel tired all the time
- Have headaches, muscle aches,
stomach aches, or unexplained pains
- Have a hard time swallowing
- Tremble or twitch
- Be irritable, sweat a lot, and
feel light-headed or out of breath
- Have to go to the bathroom a lot.
The bathroom thing is a reoccurring theme with all of your
anxiety disorders, including agoraphobia. My old therapist told me that the
term “scared shitless” did in fact come from somewhere.
People with A Panic Disorder may:
·
Sudden and repeated attacks of fear
·
A feeling of being out of control during a panic attack
·
An intense worry about when the next attack will happen
·
A fear or avoidance of places where panic attacks have occurred in the past
·
Physical symptoms during an attack, such as a pounding or racing heart,
sweating, breathing problems, weakness or dizziness, feeling hot or a cold
chill, tingly or numb hands, chest pain, or stomach pain.
·
Have to go to the bathroom a lot.
Not everyone who has panic attacks will end up with a panic disorder, so
don’t freak out too much if you have had a panic attack. Women are actually
more prone to panic disorder, but this is not gender specific. It can happen to
anyone. It is really a pain in the ass, because you don’t want to go out and
have another panic attack, because you feel ashamed or embarrassed.
People with a Social Phobia or Social Anxiety Disorder may:
- Be very anxious about being with
other people and have a hard time talking to them, even though they wish
they could
- Be very self-conscious in front of
other people and feel embarrassed
- Be very afraid that other people
will judge them
- Worry for days or weeks before an
event where other people will be
- Stay away from places where there
are other people
- Have a hard time making friends
and keeping friends
- Blush, sweat, or tremble around
other people
- Feel nauseous or sick to their
stomach when with other people. (This falls into that bathroom thing).
Post Traumatic Stress happens when something life altering happens, a
really big change, a really horrible change, people who come back from war
often can get Post Traumatic Stress, people who have been sexually abused,
physically assaulted. A lot of people who witnessed 9-11 ended up with Post
Traumatic Stress.
I often joke about wishing I was OCD, and I probably shouldn’t, as it has
to suck for those who actually have it. It would be horrible to be germ a phobic! But my house would be so
sparkly clean.
People with OCD
may:
- Have repeated thoughts or images
about many different things, such as fear of germs, dirt, or intruders;
acts of violence; hurting loved ones; sexual acts; conflicts with
religious beliefs; or being overly tidy
- Do the same rituals over and over
such as washing hands, locking and unlocking doors, counting, keeping
unneeded items, or repeating the same steps again and again
- Can't control the unwanted
thoughts and behaviors
- Don't get pleasure when performing
the behaviors or rituals, but get brief relief from the anxiety the thoughts
cause
- Spend at least 1 hour a day on the
thoughts and rituals, which cause distress and get in the way of daily
life.
I do not believe
the “bathroom thing” is one of the traits of a person suffering from OCD.
However, I don’t really know for sure. Really ever one can vary, it depends on
the case. It depends on you! The most
important thing to remember is TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! The longer you wait to
actually get some help the worse off you
are in your head, and the more “shrinking” you need…like me.
I guess that is
where I leave off for the night. Almost 3 am and I have a baby too watch bright
and early.
Remember you are
not alone!
Love and Light!
“Even
though you cannot control everything that happens, you can control your
attitude toward what happens. And in that, you will be mastering change rather
than allowing it to master you.”-Unknown
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