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Agoraphobia

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Guest Jim S.

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These are serious conditions- agoraphobia and panic attacks-

and they must compound everything else that a veteran has to deal with.

I got a call from a former member here quite some time back and he was in quite a state-(from the old hadit board)

He has PTSD,DMII, and numerous other SC conditions and has agoraphobia real bad but the family wanted to go to the Mall and he promised them he would go too but then he was afraid to go with them.They got angry with him. But when they all left without him-for some reason he got severe claustrophobia being in the house alone.

I forget how he did this but he did get the VA to help him get photography equipment and when he could get out, he felt this made his time productive with a hobby and I think the focus on what he would photograph helped a lot in dealing with the agoraphobia.This hobby would allow him to go just about anywhere but not have to deal with people, as most people in a park would leave him a,lone, seeing his equipment all set up.

He was in an awful state of mind when he called me-but I started to joke a little about how odd his predicament was -claustrophobia and agoraphobia- where do you go? and then we started talking about his claim (excellent 1151 claim)and he forgot he was claustrophobic and then he regretted he didnt go to the Mall.Still this is just a miserable byproduct of many disabilities and it is so

misunderstood by family members and even spouses.

I wasnt making fun of him at all but I knew I had to get his mind off being alone and feeling very confined.

I think PTSD can be a fertile place for these additional disabilities to grow in and I know very few PTSD vets who don't have some sort of agoraphobia.

I saw the opening moments of "Platoon" many times- just the opening moments- I would go with Nam vets who wanted to see the movie but then suddenly they would get up and we would have to leave the movie house.It might have been agoraphobia.

It certainly was an upsetting few opening minutes so I assumed their memories of Nam caused them to want to bolt-and we discussed this at the vet center a lot-but now I think being in a crowded theatre is also what might have done it. This was in the 1980s.

Platoon was my first date with Rod and he hung in there for the whole movie but I could tell he was pretty upset with some of it.Then we ate Chinese food and he started talking about what he ate in Vietnam and then he talked for the next 5-6 hours about the war.

Aside from the vet center where he met me, no one ever seem to let him talk about the war. Especially his siblings and his dad. He loved them dearly but they could not understand why he changed when he came home and really didnt want to hear why.

Edited by Berta
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Since my last post I have the diagnosis of agoraphobia.

I have found that just knowing that I'm not the only one who has been dealing with this helps to to look at myself a little differently than I did before.

It is really difficult sometimes. My aunt died this past week, and I sliped into her funeral, sat on the friends side, then slipped out before talking to my relatives, I just had to get home, and couldn't stand to make it to the graveside service...I just don't bother to explain anymore...they're not going to understand anyway. My wife drove them over some food so they wouldn't have to worry about cooking...I always keep plenty of food arounfd the house :rolleyes:

Boondoc

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Boondoc:

Like you the diagmpsis was a reliefe. With agoraphobia you know that you are not crazy and that you are not the only one.

Hang in there; there are several of is here at Hadit.

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Agoraphobia kinds of slips up on some of us. It starts with a reluctance to leave the house except on important business. Now I find myself not wanting to go far away from the house due to fear. I struggle with starting new activities that take me out of my routine where I would have to meet knew people. It is not like I am struck dumb if I stand out in the open. It is more of pulling into myself from outside contact. I think we need to make a real effort to fight this because it snowballs.

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BoonDoc,

I know what you are talking about. My poor deceased mother could never understand, why I was always the one in the family to have to be sick with each Christmas Party or any Family Get Together.

It sounds terrible, but when my dear sister died two years ago, I couldn't even go to the viewing and fought going to the funeral the next day. She died right before Christmas and I kept praying for more snow.

Isn't that disgraceful !!! I was thinking about myself. I finally pulled myself together and made it down the interstate, 50 miles away, of course, my husband was driving and I put if off so long, that I was late getting into the church.

When I did get there, I was so nervous, that I made the most awful noise, as I fell into one of the seats, because of my balance problem. I have always comforted myself, by thinking that she would have gotten a good laugh out of that one. I feel that she knew I was there, by the bang.

I find it a struggle to walk into the grocery store, even with my husband, and this one you will laugh out, sometimes and most of the time, I slip away to another aisle, so that I can pretend that I am in the store alone.

Hang in there,

Josephine

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BoonDoc,

I know what you are talking about. My poor deceased mother could never understand, why I was always the one in the family to have to be sick with each Christmas Party or any Family Get Together.

It sounds terrible, but when my dear sister died two years ago, I couldn't even go to the viewing and fought going to the funeral the next day. She died right before Christmas and I kept praying for more snow.

Isn't that disgraceful !!! I was thinking about myself. I finally pulled myself together and made it down the interstate, 50 miles away, of course, my husband was driving and I put if off so long, that I was late getting into the church.

When I did get there, I was so nervous, that I made the most awful noise, as I fell into one of the seats, because of my balance problem. I have always comforted myself, by thinking that she would have gotten a good laugh out of that one. I feel that she knew I was there, by the bang.

I find it a struggle to walk into the grocery store, even with my husband, and this one you will laugh out, sometimes and most of the time, I slip away to another aisle, so that I can pretend that I am in the store alone.

Hang in there,

Josephine

I'm glad that you brought up remembering something humurious so the memorys can not be about how we had to make ourselves go...my aunt had anxiety ever since her husband, my maternal uncle, died...he was a SGTMAJ 30 year Army man had did everything for her, so it was a shock when he had an anurism sp? and was gone in the blink of an eye. She would have understood, as I believe your sister would too.

I'm glad John brought up the fact about meeting new people...I have no desire to be around people except my parents (sometimes :rolleyes: ) wife and kids. I hate to meet new people , and when the conversation leads to "what do you do?" as it always does I ussually just say I'm retired military...even though I had to get out because of my health, but was told by friend not to take the Navy lump sum medical discharge, and fought for VA compensation and then got SSD. Anyway, I have never understood why I would rather be alone...can't stand when someone just drives up on me...I can't answer the door unless it's my parents.

I'm begining to understand better why I do some of the things that I haven't understood before...don't know if it will change anything, but it is a relief to know why I behave in some ways that I didn't before. I was voted wittyest in my senior class, and was the class clown in front of everybody during everything, but now I couldn't even make my 20th class reunion back a few years ago...we all change, some more than others I guess.

Has anyone else noticed that this (agoraphobia) affects their use of Internet boards? I just don't feel that I fit in most places, and ussually drop off after a little bit of time because I can't relate even though I may have mutual interests, but find interaction with others difficult. Maybe just me :D

BoonDoc

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