Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 4:45 pm Post subject: Uk Agoraphobic need HELP PLEASE
Hi everyone, I'm 24yrs old from the Uk and have been agoraphobic for about 3years now.
It makes me sad to have to ask these question but because of my agorophobia i can't work at the moment and after 3 years of not being able to work i've run out of my savings. My doctor isn't being helpful and i don't know what to do...
1) Can you get benefits for being agoraphobic?
2) What benefits can i get?
3) Where can i find out about the benefits?
4) Any help anyone can give me about Uk benefits for agorophobia would be really helpful?
More about me....
I went to see my doctor about having social phobia, at the time i was able to go anywhere i wanted but just couldn't stay somewhere that was crowded. My Doctor just brushed me off and said there is nothing wrong with me. He made me feel like i was a silly little girl so i thought to myself "just snap out of it, if the doctor says your fine you must be, right??"
I used to only have panic attacks when i went somewhere that was really crowded by then i started having panic attacks when i was at home and thinking about going to places. I didn't want to go to see my doctor about it because i knew he'd make me feel like i was being stupid so for months i left it and the problem got worse. Everytime i thought about going outside i'd think DANGER. DANGER but didn't know what i was afraid of. I thought i was going mad, it got to the point that i couldn't leave the house, open the front door or even pick up the house phone if someone called. My friend kept on putting pressure on my doctor to help me and finally after 3months he referred me to somewhere that i could get cognitive behaviour therapy. The therapy was great to start with i got to the stage that i could leave the house for 15mins at a time and when with my counciler we'd go for 45min walks and i'd be fine. My cognitive behaviour therapy was free as i was referred by my doctor but it was for a limited time. I went from going to therapy once every 2 weeks to being told to come back in 3months time for a check up.
I'm at the stage that i can go out of my house for about 20 - 30mins only with my bestfriend and only if we go somewhere in the car and i don't have to get out of the car for more than 5mins.
I live with my bestfriend at the moment and have been almost since my problem started. Our friendship is starting to fall apart I have panic attacks when she brings people round to the flat so she's stopped bring people round and instead she goes out to meet friends and i hate being alone so i start to get angry with her when she gets back because i feel like she left me. She used to try everyday to get me out the house but i'd just snap at her and say it's not that simple to just walk out the door and she just doesn't understand. We never have fun anymore and she spends most her time out of the flat because she just can't deal with me. We argue alot about me not paying my way and since my saving run out i can't help with bills. She's done so much for me over the 3 years that i want to get benefits so i can help out with the bills ect...
Thank you for reading this and i hope someone can help.
I know it probably seems at the mo there is no one to help you, your doctor is a wanker (so was mine!)
So if u can change surgerie or speak to a different doctor
1) Can you get benefits for being agoraphobic?
ive just started getting income support, its a LONG process n feels like they DO NOT want you to have any money, it works on a points system asking questions about mental health and your ability to do certain tasks.
2) What benefits can i get?
Incapacity benefit if you have paid enough NI contributions, income support if not, maybe disibility living allowence.
3) Where can i find out about the benefits?
If you do a google search the best site to use is the .gov ones
4) Any help anyone can give me about Uk benefits for agorophobia would be really helpful?
My advice would be to not give up trying to get benefits it takes so long, you will need to get medical certificates from your doctor, has your doctor referred you to counselling or something like that? long waiting lists but worthwhile if you can get help you need.
This may or may not be helpful but I've heard of companies allowing their employees to work from home if they have agoraphobia; learnt this in one of my ICT classes (Work Equality or something)
Joined: Nov 23, 2004 Posts: 1756 Location: Manchester UK
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:28 pm Post subject: Re: Uk Agoraphobic need HELP PLEASE
Lady24Uk wrote:
I'm at the stage that i can go out of my house for about 20 - 30mins only with my bestfriend and only if we go somewhere in the car and i don't have to get out of the car for more than 5mins.
I suffered agorophobia/panic disorder for years and conquered it, you can too!
each time you get out of the car, push it so you spend more than five minutes, tolerate more, set yourself a target of 7 mins, then next time 9 mins, then 12 and so on....(exposure)
here's another good one, go out of your front door, walk down your path to your front gate, then go back inside, venture further everytime you do it
you can beat agoraphobia by constantly challenging it
you have to do it by baby steps, a little at a time but it does work, I've got better and people I have helped have too, it can be done.
As for benefits DLA is very very hard to get, incapacity benefit/incomesupport is what you will get.
are you seeing a therapist? they really will help you!
get intouch with people on here who suffer or have suffered agorophobia, it helps to know how others conquered/are dealing with it
_________________ I'm not a moderator anymore, please ignore that title, Thelema and Zeroday are mods now
Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 1:54 pm Post subject: agoraphobia incapacity benefits
Hello, I'm a new member. I've been agoraphobic since the 1970's, a lot of the time. I've just been taken off of the incapacity benefit I've been on for a while. The remark the doctor made at the tribunal which was held at my home was - so you're capable of work, you just can't get there. I wonder if they'd give a me a grant for a Tardis. So my husband who is 58 and not in the best of health has signed on for Jobseekers and I have my local M.P. contacting the job centre to ask how I'd be able to sign on should I ever need to, when I can't get there. I'm also germ phobic. The first doctor I saw thought the house would be untidier due to depression and the tribunal doctor thought that if I was germ phobic the place would be spotless. What do I do - aim for medium messy? They send people to assess you and they really don't have a clue what it's like to live with these problems.
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I have panic attacks when she brings people round to the flat so she's stopped bring people round and instead she goes out to meet friends and i hate being alone so i start to get angry with her when she gets back because i feel like she left me. She used to try everyday to get me out the house but i'd just snap at her and say it's not that simple to just walk out the door and she just doesn't understand. We never have fun anymore and she spends most her time out of the flat because she just can't deal with me. We argue alot about me not paying my way and since my saving run out i can't help with bills. She's done so much for me over the 3 years that i want to get benefits so i can help out with the bills ect...
