Jennifer Salt - Profile

I first developed panic disorder when I was 16, about 3 years later it had developed into full blown agoraphobia. I never had panic attacks in my home (although some people with agoraphobia do) and yet every time I went out-side the fear would hit me. I became housebound for 8 months.

It was not the panic attacks that were really the problem by this stage, just the 'fear' of them. I even had trouble just walking around the house. During this I felt incredibly alone, hopeless, ashamed, fearful of the future and almost grief about who I 'used' to be and who I felt I was now.

I started reading all I could on agoraphobia; books, articles, anything!- it was during this time I became the internet junkie I am today. :-) I found the Internet to be a wonderful resource, I could chat to others like me, I could read all I could find. I loved it. I was no longer alone. The Internet and talking to people like myself also made me realize that the more I avoid, the more I fear. I would never wake up one morning and be cured. I needed to do something about it. So here I am today taking it as it comes and recoverying slowly, step by step.

Be assured with the right help, knowledge and a little commitment to extending your boundaries you can recover from agoraphobia and begin to reclaim your world. Agoraphobia, to the sufferer, can be a very shameful and embarrassing disorder that can be hard to understand. It can also be a problem with family and friends not knowing how to help, or not understanding. Agoraphobic people can be very good at hiding their disorder: and their true feelings about it.

I hope, in these articles, to give a little support, understanding and the right tools for agoraphobic people to start to regain their lives. It is possible to re-join the outside world. It takes a little work and sometimes finding the right tools can be a frustrating hit and miss: but ultimately it is very rewarding and along the way you can learn an amazing amount about yourself and life.