Agoraphobia & Social Anxiety Support Group

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder, often precipitated by the fear of having a panic attack in a setting from which there is no easy means of escape. As a result, sufferers of agoraphobia may avoid public and/or unfamiliar places. In severe cases, the sufferer may become confined to their home, experiencing difficulty traveling from this "safe place."

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ReedNotRed 10/22/2009

I've been dealing with both agoraphobia and social anxiety for three years now (along with depression) and its really affecting my academic performance. Has anyone else had this problem?

I keep bombing, the slightly rising, then bombing, then ever so rising, and now I've bombing again. Its soooooo hard this time, cause when I first had to deal with this, I could never remember a time when I wasn't like this. Now I have had a taste of 'freedom' from this, and it makes is harder each time I crash. I just want my degree.... but its sooooo hard when you can never go to class.

Has anyone here dealth with this??

deleted_user 10/22/2009

I've probably dropped out 3 or 4 times dating all the way back to high school. I've been accepted into some of the best schools. I'll go and I can't interact so I avoid people, which causes more anxiety, which deepens the withdrawal etc.

I decided this time just to stay at home with my parents and see if I can finish my degree at a local university. (Already got a degree from a community college.) I'm from Syracuse, NY, and thankfully we have some good schools nearby, but yeah it can be devestating... to want something so bad but to be overwhelmed by the anxiety of dealing with people... and campus life can be especially rough. Everyone is having the 'time of their life' and I'm just hoping to survive. The contrast is pretty hard to hide. It's a sick threatening feeling and it can ruin everything.

I really have no advice; only I can relate.

Justonekitty 10/22/2009

Yes. It was the hardest time in my life. I was in the back of the class. My prob wasn't fear of going to class but having to speak. Somehow I made it through. What I did to help me was to stand infront of a dresser mirror. I got my notes and would talk outloud to my self and write the lesson on the mirror with dry erase, as if I were teaching. I had a prof who would randomly pic people to draw and label thing (anatomy) same thing of my grammer prof. Doing this helped. I'm not saying it was a cure because it wasn't. There were moments that I would have to give a speeh and I practically shook the whole time. I mainly forced myself because I wanted to graduate.

ReedNotRed 10/23/2009

thanks you two for your advice..... even sharing your stories helps...

deleted_user 10/23/2009

I really think University is a very very scary experience to people with social anxiety. There are just constantly masses of people around. What helped me in my 6 years at two different Universities was telling myself every day:

"All the things I think these people are thinking, seeing etc about me, are just in MY head"

I focused so much on really seeing that nobody was ever really paying any attention to me, that I realized, we are all invisible, ESPECIALLY in very crowded places like University Campuses.

I hope this helps.

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