Agoraphobia

[Mutten]

Originally posted by PsykloneStrykz
i'd just like to applaud everyone on this thread, it's one of the first serious, ALMOST flamefree threads i've seen here, gratz all! and yes, Agoraphobia is a major struggle. i don't personally suffer from this condition, but my brother-in-law does, and just seeing the rut he's in, i want to find a way to help him, but not sure what i can do *sigh*

i personally suffer from IED, Intermitent Explosive Disorder, caused by a chemical imbalance in my cerebrum, in turn causing me to lash out violently at anyone, anywhere, over anything, and this has been handled via doses of Zoloft and Percaset (Percaset selfprescribed) but hey, it chills me out and mellows me down! and kills the pain from the shit i hit/break before i go nuts =)

hope this helps in some way, but Z&P both took a good 2 weeks to notice anything, have a great night and once again, congratulations on this great post !

Your better off smoking a nice fatty than taking those percasets. How often do you hear of a stoned (on marijuana) person having intermitent IED episodes. Not very often.

I grew up with a kid that had Bi-polar disorder that would have explosive episodes about once a month to the point they would have to lock him up for a couple of days. He started smoking weed abour 14/15 years of age and the episodes almost completely subsided. Today he holds a job as a mid level net admin for a 50 billion dollar bank. So not all stoners are under-acheivers~

Granted this has nothing to do with agoraphobia.

Agoraphobia being an extreme uncontrollable fear of the Public, and Public places.

I think people are getting this confused with Social Anxiety Disorder which is a different demon for most people. I myself suffer from a mild case of social anxiety disorder in the form I can't stop thinking about social engagements I am supposed to take part in, or places I am supposed to go, and I can feel the level of anxiety rise the closer the time comes to do such activity.

Normally if I don't think about it, or try to keep myself occupied (gaming) to the point my thoughts are elsewhere, its controllable to a point.

[Heh]

disclaimer :: long, personal story ahead, probably boring to you, may be of some relevance to original poster, dont feel like you have to read it unless you want to! =D

I would say the best solution to this problem is to force yourself into social situations. Granted, I'm only a teenager myself, and certainly not a psychologist or anything, but I honestly think you have to work these problems out for yourself.

Here's a little bit of my story, maybe it will help.

I'm perhaps what you could call a mix of a hardcore and casual EQ player. Basically, what that means, is when I'm not with friends, at school, or doing something with my family, I'm playing EQ or reading EQ messageboards. Now, very very rarely will I avoid or turn down something to do IRL because of my desire to play EQ, but I freely admit I play more than I should. When I was younger, in elementary and middle school, I had an awesome group of friends, and that's when I started playing EQ with 2 of them. One of them played on Fennin, but me and my other friend at started on Xegony. why we never played all on the same server, I'll never know. anyway, all 3 of us got sucked in, especially my other friend who played on xegony, coz we had been best friends for a very long time. this time was one of the happiest times of my life, and although i was overweight and wasnt one of the cool kids at school, i had one of the best groups of close friends anyone could ever ask for. unfortunately, because of playing EQ, my grades suffered.

at this time, halfway thru 8th grade, i moved to a new school , made a few cool friends but didnt really fit in as it was an alternative school in an attempt to help me get back on track academically, and the people there were arrogant assholes, basically. school turned out to be shitty, so my parents enrolled me in the local public school. i proceeded to play eq basically nonstop as my only form of socializing, except when i had my parents drive 40 minutes on the weekends to take me to see my old group of frends, who i was still close with. hell, we were practically like brothers. anyway, at my new school for 2 years i made 0 real friends, LOTS of acquaintances at school and i was actually pretty well liked, just never really made any true friends. the weekends i spent with myself and my family, but most of my time was spent on eq. i played like probably at a point 12 hours a day average per week, with school. despite this tho, i was still pretty sociable for the most part and was very content with my life

at the start of summer of 11th grade, my family went thru a rough divorce, my mom moved to colorado, etc. at this time i decided i was tired of being fat and shit, so i went on a hardcore diet and lost a lot of weight. when i got back into school i was expecting to get alot of friends and shit, but i didnt. i had basically forgotten how to socialize with ppl, and because i was so let down, i got really depressed. eventually i made a few decent friends, but i always felt like they were just sort of using me and laughing at me behind my back. the depression got worse and it got to the point where i didnt feel comfortable in social situations and i would literally go home and cry on a regular basis. my life was pure shit and while i never considered suicide, i hated life. i slowed down the eq playing at this time to make room for RL shit, but i wasnt enjoying myself doing this RL shit, because i had such a negative self image (appearance wise) that i couldnt stand to be in public, but i forced myself too.. so basically i went to parties and hung out with ppl but wasnt enjoying myself at all.

right around christmas break or after i decided to make a change, and while this is gunna sound really bad and im not suggesting it as a solution of your problem, i got together with 5 of my best friends, the ones i was talking about earlier, and did "shrooms". it was a journey to say the least, and honestly i came out of it with a new form of self confidence, self acceptance etc with the help of my friends. im NOT advocating drug use at all, thats not the point, my point is, you need to find some really close friends and do some deep soul searching. talk to them about your problem, you'll realize that u arent the only one that has issues like this. while it's cliche, only when you TRULY accept yourself can you overcome these sort of social problems. afterall, if you dont like yourself and dont feel comfortable around yourself, how are other people gunna like you?

i honestly feel that agoraphobia and SAD are products of an environment and not actual "disorders" or whatever. the key is, imo, to accept yourself and have high self esteem, and these sort of problems will go away. as far as them being EQ related, i definately think it's part of it. playing more than casually is going to alienate you from the rest of the world and you wont know how to act in social situations. thrust yourself into social situations, cut back on eq and get some confidence, and i think you'll be surprised.

sorry for the rambling, i just felt like i had something to add to this thread, /shrug

edit: while rereading my post I had to chuckle as the grammar gradually got worse as it progressed. my apologies for the mass of missing words and typos, just too really care

[Gargazon]

Bi-Polar/ADHD (adult form)/mild Agoraphobia.

...I wish I was kidding.

Anyway, I couldn't take Paxil, it made me so dizzy that by the 3rd day I ended up crawling to the bathroom and spent the day sick. Am currently Welbutrin, and Neurontin. They seem to sorta manage everything...barely. So if you can't take Paxil you may want to check those out. Of course those are also to help control the rest of the stuff in my head, but may be an option.

There have been a bunch more, I forget most of them because they made me sick. A couple I do want to warn you about though, even though I suppose any medication can make someone sick.

Haladol (I think that's how it's spelled, normally an anti-psychotic, but he said give it a try). After about a week it kicked in and I literally felt like my skin was crawling, I had to stop the truck and had my wife drive while I laid in the bed of the thing because I couldn't get comfortable. It was the worst feeling I have ever had. It was NOT fun at all, lasted about 24 hours too so be damn careful if anyone wants you to try that.

For 2 years I was on Flexaril. Don't ever let a doctor put you on that. It certainly relaxes you, which can help control things but comming off of it was an absolute bitch. Had a migraine for 10 days straight. (took all but my last one, I left that it the cabinent just to prove I owned it and not vice versa). Not fun to spend all that time feeling like your head is gonna explode.

If the medication has an insert (like if the doctor gives you samples) you may want to read it. I always loved the ones where they listed death under side-effects. Not sure where death should be listed, but it damn well doesn't seem like it should be under side effects.

You may also want to stop all caffine intake. I did and found that it had aggravated things a lot when I used it. I imagine it's the same for any stimulant.

[Froofy-D]

Heh said :

i got together with 5 of my best friends, the ones i was talking about earlier, and did "shrooms". it was a journey to say the least, and honestly i came out of it with a new form of self confidence, self acceptance etc with the help of my friends.

There you have it folks. Forget haldol, paxil, wellbutrin etc.... SHROOMS are the answer. Lol to heh. Your story seemed like just another boring one but the shrooms part was pretty f-ing funny.

Whoever said reducing caffeine intake is right. My old roomate had sleeping problems and ADD...no wonder...the motherfucker drank 2 or 3 two-liter bottles of Diet Coke a day. And he smoked. With that amount of stimulants I doubt a horse could sleep much less concentrate on a test.

[X-Com]

A large percent of the people who are mentaly suffering,are simply spectating this thread,it depends on the person if they will post or not.
But I do think this thread is vary helpfull.to say the least.

[lilu]

For people hate to go to go out of public area, like mall, supermarket, theatre etc, fear others will laugh at you. hope this might help.

Go to a shopping mall with a friend, and count 100 poeple. Then sit down somewhere you feel comfortable with, and try to remember from #1 to #100 , see how much you remember about him/her/it. Like what he/she/it is wearing, what pants, what shoes, pretty face, hair style ......... see how many you could remember. And then put yourself into #69. That will be close to how well others will notice you. Do you remember what he/she/it looks like? hair style? what shoes? ugly or pretty? fat or slim? tall or short? i doubt you will remember all those.

So, when you are walking down the street or in a shopping mall, just remember, you are just the #69, and people won't remember you unless you are jumping off the bridge or something to get their attention.


For those who prefer to sit infront of monitor and order pizza instead of go out etc.

besides that you might be sick or have emotional problems. personally, i think your life is just too good. You don't need to confront anything or deal with anyone.

Imagine that you don't have money to pay for the pizza or even everquest, the place you live is leaking and its raining outside. I don't believe you would sit inside your house and do nothing with empty stomache. Can't speak for everyone, there will always be special cases. BUt i bet most of your parents are out there working hard and feeding you. But you probably keep giving yourself excuses to get welware and playing everquest the same time. Once again, there will be special cases, just look up at your parents generation, only the one who work gets the bread, and think of yourself.

You are the only one can tell which cases you are in, hiding doesn't solve the any problem. If you are fat, exercise! always hard to start it, need to keep it going. 30 minutes of exercise everyday is needed for everyone.

[Zarseem Nasaar]

I don't think I'm agoraphobic. I don't have a fear of the outside of the people in it.

What I do have is blatant, out-right hostility towards the world, and the vast majority of the sheepish masses who live on it. You know who I'm talking about. The stupid, weeping masses who accomplish nothing in life. They are given birth by mom and dad, live an average, uneventful life, ask no questions, think no original thoughts, go to Church because it's required, get married, have 2.3 kids and a dog named Spot, and live in a house with a white picket fence.

I hate those people and the world they made. I hate the Yo Dawgs, the trendy little bitches walking around with their pants around their knees, holding their crotches, limping, saying shit like,"Yo, where the hoes/dimez/phat bitches at?", and listening to 6-Pack Saltshaker at concert levels...and are white and live in suburbia.

I hate the religious. Their belief in something more supreme than man (or rather, the potential that man has) offends me. Their silly need to be comforted in the belief in an invisible man who sees and hears everything you do, really bothers me, and their need to spread that poison by word or the torch degrades my sense of being.

I hate HATE HAAAAAATE lawyers, politicians, doctors, lobbyists, the French, Canada, people who refuse to learn English even though they want to stay in the U.S. with their families, the public school system, teachers, colleges, and the Pope.

And so, I ask you, why bother going outside, aside from working? Want social interaction? Typing is safer, and I don't feel disgusted with a keyboard.

When I type to someone to talk with them, I can at least pretend/lie to myself that they are intelligent, that they have something to say that is worth listening to. When you see them walking in their masses in the cities, doesn't it make you gag?

People are so foul, disgusting, and wrong. If I have to go shopping, such as Wal-mart or whatever, I feel the same way as someone might if they waded in a sewer. Being surrounded by all those foul people....YUCK.

So...what is that called? It's not agoraphobia. What do you call it when you despise the people of the world in all their lowness?

[Galarian Karana]

So...what is that called? It's not agoraphobia. What do you call it when you despise the people of the world in all their lowness?

You're a fucking loon.

....

Ok I'll be serious. I should know some of this. But I never hated the religious, Canada, or the dog named Spot. From what you described you just have an insane bitterness to things you do not know well enough. You build up a defense towards them and stick to the beliefs you have that these are all bad/negative. You built opinions and viewpoints of the real world from sitting behind the 'puter too long and being immersed in a world that is more appealing to you. One where you do not have to deal with the rights and wrongs of the real world.

Or was that just me? I dunno. That's just my guess

edit - hurray for bad spelling!

[Zarseem Nasaar]

Wish I had more time to respond, but dead people need embalming right now, so I have to end the lunch break.

I served this country and the world for the last 4 years. It's not worth serving, and it's not worth saving. Burn the trees, use up all the oil, eat red meat til your colon explodes, and nuke a gay whale for Jesus, for all I gives a shit.

Bitterness? Maybe. Defensive? Nah. Offensive is more like it. Do unto others as they have done to you. That's MY golden rule. I'll deal with the rest when we get these people in some coffins. Later daze.

[Blackdoom]

...ahhh

do you know tyler durdan?

[Cedil]

Zarseem get help man you're waaaay too angry.


and ya I agree with whoever suggested that Agrophobia and all these "disorders" are really just really severe confidence/esteem problems.


and i like heh's story, I had a similiar history, back in grade 7 and 8 and shit I was the most popular kid in my school literally, then when high school came out i just turned into this huge EQ junkie and when I finally decided to quit in grade 11 I realized I was completely unsoicalized, an utter hopeless loser and I became very depressed and nearly killed myself.

a year later i've pulled my self together. it took a lot of work, a lot of talk with good friends/loved ones and most of all A LOT OF THINKING. I thought about what confidence and esteem really were and what was different between me and most people. Eventually I realized it was all in my head, and I was just as good as everybody else in the world I just had to believe it first.

After (slowly) changing my outlook on life and social situations (through lots of thinking), I eventually decided the only thing stopping me was belief in myself, and as soon as I started to belief in myself again I started being confident again and I started being myself again, and my confidence is just about fully restored now.

guys with esteem problems the #1 thing i reccomend is thinking.

for the record, I'm back to my old self again and going out to chill with the most popular kids in school in an hour.

i know it seems sort of shallow that being friends with the "cool" kids should be so important, but it's good for esteem and confidence and i believe these things to be the most important factor in life in finding true happiness.

i'm still friends with the less cool kids who helped me during my hard times and I always will be, but I'm friends with a lot of people now and I believe thats the way it should be.

[ilian]

Like the previous poster said, Zarseem, it just sounds like unnatural hatred of things you dont understand. Sociopath and Bigot are two words I might use to describe that. Don't want to change the tone of the thread to one of insults or whatever, im really not trying to do that, but it sounded like you were very proud of what you were describing, and wanted this type of reaction. Did I get wrong impression from your post? I've also seen that people suffering from depression or manic depression can suffer from this kind of (unjustified? random? ? not sure exactly how to describe) bitterness and it could be just as 'simple' as treating your depression to improve your general outlook. Of course, I am not a doctor so just kind of musing here.

[GoTeN]

I'm not sure if getting headaches and feeling uneasy around crowds is considered agoraphobia (sp?)...but if it is, then I guess I got it, lol. =p

[userr0101]

Originally posted by Zarseem Nasaar
The stupid, weeping masses who accomplish nothing in life. They are given birth by mom and dad, live an average, uneventful life, ask no questions, think no original thoughts, go to Church because it's required, get married, have 2.3 kids and a dog named Spot, and live in a house with a white picket fence.

I hate those people and the world they made. I hate the Yo Dawgs, the trendy little bitches walking around with their pants around their knees, holding their crotches, limping, saying shit like,"Yo, where the hoes/dimez/phat bitches at?", and listening to 6-Pack Saltshaker at concert levels...and are white and live in suburbia.

You hate people who don't think/act outside of the box and ask original questions, but also hate white people who "act black"? Hating people because they act in a non-traditional way (ie acting black) is a little contradictory to your "I hate traditional people" tirade isn't it?

Believe it or not, but hating entire categories of people because of a personal dislike of them is just as narrow minded as the people who float through life with no clue, asking no difficult questions.

So...what is that called? It's not agoraphobia. What do you call it when you despise the people of the world in all their lowness?

Your a Misanthrope.

[VelMonk]

Non-traditional Way of Acting?

I do believe, sir, that that is the politically correct version of "acting like a fucking moron".