Agoraphobia/panic attacks in front of others

Hello everyone,

I hope you are having a good day wherever you are.

I used to suffer from Agorophobia a few years ago after the birth of my daughter. Eventually I managed to live with it, and eventually I could leave a normal life without being so afraid to go out.

My mum, which I was very closed to, died two years ago, and a series of changes, like approaching menopause, has brought me these feelings of fear when I go out, mainly because of my symptoms. I get dizzy, like "drunk feeling" every time I go out. I have balance issues because I am loosing hearing in one ear as well as cervical/neck issues which can cause dizziness. But when I go out into open spaces I began with this horrible feeling that recently triggered a panic attack which I hadn't had for years, Now I can see the pattern I learned in the pass coming back to me. Avoiding places and situations to not experience those feelings, it's the worse you can do when suffering from Agorophobia. In fact, the best therapy is to go out there (CBT), especially the situations you avoid and feel every feeling coming to you and stay in place until they pass. I am happy to do that, but what embarrass me the worse is being with a friend and start having those feelings in front of my friend. In fact, that happened the other day when I had the panic attack I was with my friend and I had to tell her about my anxiety, something I didn't particularly wanted to explain, but I had to for her to comprehend what I was going through.

How do you deal with the situation of confronting the panic attacks in front of others?

Thank you

When I have anxiety attacks, I start sweating, which people can see.

Ive had balance issues and if youre able to get through it, people may not notice except that guy in the corner who is sweating (me)

I wouldnt tell people you are having an anxiety attack unless you feel you have no choice. People are wrapped in themselves and probably not even paying attention. But they could be as well

I would kill for a rapid heartbeat that no one is going to know I have during an anxiety attack

Youre in the UK, my sense is people are more understanding there if you do decide to tell them

Good luck

Luckily for me I'm taking classes online and don't currently have a job.. Frankly, I don't know how I'd cope with having a panic attack in a public setting. Mine get severe enough that I often can't stand/walk while it's in its peak, and I struggle to breath. I also experience dizziness, shaking, nausea/vomiting, rapid heart rate, and crying. I think if an attack hit me in a public setting in which I could not easily "escape" I would probably either try to conceal it or I'd tell someone nearby (an employee in the case of a store) and ask if there was anywhere private I could go, and then I'd maybe call a family member who could come take me home. Unfortunately I still do not possess the know-how to get myself out of one quickly or easily, and I'm afraid that feeling as though I need to hide it from those around me would just worsen the experience, especially the feeling of being separated from reality (depersonalization/derealization accompany my attacks a lot of the time).

So I guess my main suggestion would be... don't pressure yourself into appearing calm, cool or collected. Sure, it might feel embarrassing to let your panic show to others, but that feeling will probably just make it worse. Better to seek a quiet place to cope with it, and to try and calmly explain to those around you what is happening. I have actually had a mild one hit me when I went to see a play... the loud music and flashing lights were too much for me. I tried my best to stay as long as I could, but I ended up walking out and sitting in the hallway outside, practicing deep breathing and bought a water bottle to sip on. No one questioned me or looked at me overly weirdly.

I had an attack in front of others at a pool party over my sister's house I couldn't breathe I felt everyone was looking at me I ran into my sister's house curled up in a ball and couldn't breathe .since then I have been working with a therapist and she has helped me with my issues giving me some tools to help alleviate my anxiety

I tell others about my agoraphobia. Most people are very understanding and supportive. If they aren't, well I don't want them as friends! I tell people to just ignore my symptoms and I deal with them as best I can while trying to do stuff to take my mind off of them like listen to a story a friend is telling or something. It gets more embarrassing if they let on that they notice I am panicking.