Agoraphobia

[aychamo_aycono]

Originally posted by taoxek
A note about Paxil, i was on it first when trying to solve my problems(6th medication worked), and it can cause some major sexual side effects. I didn't have problems with Impotence, but i just couldnt have an orgasm. You can imagine how frustrating this could be for you and your girlfriend.

You could just fake it, like in 40 Days 40 Nights

[doharg]

Doharg, did you have any problems getting off Paxil?

No problems getting off of it per sa, but each time I stopped takeing it, I found my anxiety level would slowly rise over time; not enough to give me full blown panic attacks, but enough to make me uncomfortable at work and restaurants and such. So I went back on it and I'm still takeing it to this day. I could live with the mild anxiety I suppose, but I why would I if I don't have too.

[Trishadow]

I was Agoraphobic for most of my EQ career. Obviously EQ didnt help my life for those of you who know, but it did help my agoraphobia. I am trying not to say to much stupid shit so i get flamed for it, but just keep your head up high. After all, someone always has it worse off then you do.

[moltenfists]

in almost 2 years of surfing these boards there is only two things i have EVER seen furor post a response of STFU to the horde before
1. the breast cancer thread
2. this one

i rember why he said it in the breast cancer thread, and all the crap in that thread anyway was retarded.

I woudl venture to say that in guilds where people have played together for soem time and actually get to knwo your membes( or core members) like FOH or any of yrou servers long standing uber guild wiht the core 30 people. That you discover things about the people you play with and what not. I am 100% posative that there is at LEAST onemember of FOh who si agoraphobic, and i know 2-3 on 7th hammer who are that play EQ. as furor said EQ or DAOC or any MMORPG is a great outlet for people to startranching out and meeting people and getting out there, without getting out there.

some of you may say it is funny and laugh at them( liek fade did) and some of us may even rezlize that all of a sudden you have not left yrou house in 3 weeks you just realized. mental diseases where you have a phobia are nothing to laugh at, they can and are dibilitating and can ruin yoru life. i just finished a news story i have been working on abotu a women who is 34 years old has 2 kids and is agoraphobic, never leaves her house works otu o her hoem makes 80k a year and her kids and her family are happy. she got a promotion and had to move first time she left her house in like 15 years or something, she gotout and looked around and actually whent INTO her office and did some work, was a great story and done well by me of course if it runs i will eb happy.

[Korell]

Well, i've been reading this board (and the others before it) for a long time. Re-registered for this post.

I started playing everquest shortly before RoK came out. I had been living in my room for about 3 months before I started playing. Had dropped out of high school because of SAD/Agrophobia and panic attacks. Everquest was a huge outlet for me. I spent every concious moment on EQ and on Veeshan. Played non-stop for a long time, up until I started on the right medicine. Then I only continued to play because it was still fun and I had all that time invested into it. Finding the right medicines can really help you. I would also suggest working out, even going for a walk around the block (go at night when no one will see you if its a problem) will help you get your head right. And keep a good relationship with your doctors, because you can build up tolerances to certain meds and talking to them openly will keep you thinking right. Good luck if you decide to seek help.

[Yayanono]

i just finished a news story i have been working on abotu a women who is 34 years old has 2 kids and is agoraphobic, never leaves her house works otu o her hoem makes 80k a year and her kids and her family are happy.

Whoever edits your shit deserves a fucking raise man. Its not only your lazy ass spelling but also you horrid grammar.

I also find it highly likely that you just made that story up(go ahead and post your news story here lol) considering how atrocious your spelling and grammar are.

Care to tell us which paper you write for? High school gazette?

[Tweedius]

I think I had a problem with this this past semester and stuff, but I got bored as hell sitting in my apartment in fear of the outside world. I just got outside and it felt good to be outside and socializing with everyone.

And this helps:

[DefensivePractice]

took zoloft, but it gave me really awful diarrhea, so for social anxiety. It's not exactly encouraging to get out there and feel comfortable if you are on the brink of disaster and you stomach is howling... but as a laxative, A++!

edit ~ And Korrell, you hit the nail on the head about exercise, that's exactly how I feel when I work out. You just feel vulnerable and paranoid when you are by yourself doing something like that.

[moltenfists]

Whoever edits your shit deserves a fucking raise man. Its not only your lazy ass spelling but also you horrid grammar.

i hate typing as it is, and you would be amazed at what a CPU can dictate. and yes michael gets paid VERY well to fix my spelling. besides i work in TV spelling and grammer no matter there.

[Ming]

Agoraphobia- Fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places like markets. Fear of leaving a safe place.

Xenophobia-Fear of strangers or foreigners.


EQ provides something to do while cooped up in the house for an agoraphobe and perhaps an outlet for the secondary anxiety caused by the lack of real world contact, but overall does little to alleviate it. Agoraphobes are anxious about being anxious about being anxious about...being vulnerable. The less they confront this anxiety the worse will become the phobia. So I say to agoraphobes, play EQ until you're blue in the face but get out once in awhile. It's good for you.

Systematic desensitization is a powerful strategy in overcoming irrational fear. It's simply gradual increased exposure to the aversive stimuli. Set goals, ie first to the mailbox, then the end of the street, then around the block.. etc. Analogous to the body's immune system, the subject becomes more able to handle aversive stimuli with each exposure. Or you can rot in front of your computer screen- less traffic on the road. It's up to you. Good post, poster.

[Korell]

Well, the most powerful attribute of EQ is the roleplaying.. in that your not acting as yourself, your acting as a character in a game. The character has a entirely new body, ones the user has picked out, so they dont feel self conscious. Kinda like going to a custom party.

And yes, while your waiting for your meds to kick in, EQ is something to do, and its something your comfortable with. Also keeps your social skills somewhat up-to-date (like having a conversation with others), althou I greatly felt the urge to use EQ acronyms in real life while I was talking. And unless your a mindless gimp, it keeps your problem solving skills going, ie.. how do i kill this mob (people actually playing their chars up instead of pl'n to uber lvls). But...

Once your meds kick in, re-evaluate the time you spend playing. You may be passing up your chance to get better and develop some good relationships with local people.


Edit: Just read thru Ming's post on desensitivation... Good advice. Go check the mail in the dark if your afraid someone is gonna see you.

Note to kids: Take your meds, they aren't going to hurt you.. outside of the guy that got the shits..

[BHo]

To the people who suffer from this fear/disease: What do you about your addiction to EQ(I'm assuming some level of addiction if you check message boards like this, I could be wrong though) in relationship to your problem? If you left/stopped EQ, do you think it would help?

[fade]

hi

[Dregor Thule]

Paxil's a bittersweet thing. It does a great job in terms of helping you deal with problems in your noggin, in my case depression mixed with agoraphobia/general anxiety. The side effects when you first go on it or when you change dosage are annoying, but pass. It's definitely a habit forming drug tho. Not addiction wise, just depriving yourself of it, at least for me, and 2 other friends, can lead to some nasty side effects. Diarrhea, lightheadedness/flashes of dizzyness, increasing anxiety, increased depression. I panic if I run out of a prescription before I can get it renewed. I have no experience with any other drugs of this sort, so can't really say don't take paxil, because it DOES work. Just make sure you get the full story.

[Korell]

In regards to this disease and EQ:

Yes, EQ can become addictive for people suffering from agrophobia/SAD, which is why I said after your taking the meds for awhile take a break. And as far as checking this board, *shrug* its always been a interesting forum, and entertaining. Been checking it for a long time, dont really see it being addictive or feeding my past addiction to EQ. I only play now because I enjoy the game. Not trying to PL every char I got up to 65, just playing it if I feel like it. Sometimes a pick up group of toons in the 20s can be lots of fun. Play the game for fun, but put yourself (the real you, not some toon) first.