Can't afford help for agoraphobia

[zzserenazz]

I have really bad insurance, which will be up very, very soon. I'm on anti-depressants, and get really messed up when i'm not.

I can't afford to go to someone that can help me with agoraphobia... The person that's taking it worse than I am, though, is my boyfriend. We've been together over 2 years, and i've only been to his house maybe 3 times. He always comes here. Recently he's been getting sick of having to come over. He says he loves me, and I believe him, but right now he gave me a choice... Get help now, or he's gone for good.

I don't know what i'm supposed to do. I know I probably can't get over this without help, and I just can't afford it. I already owe 40k for college... Last time I was left by someone i loved, i thought about killing myself... It was only a year with him, and i'm afraid of what will happen after two years.

Please help me?

[Vikki]

I completeley understand about affording help for our problem. I have seen 5 different shrinks and they really have not helped. Have you tried meds for anxiety like busbar (spelling?) or xanax. Maybe they could help you get out a little more and it would ease the strain on your relationship.
There are some books at the library on anxiety, you can check them out and not have to pay for them. And many web sites with info. Positive thinking is very important.
Do you leave the house at all? I try and get out every other day...doesn't always work.

[zzserenazz]

I can go out and do things regularly, i'm just kinda limited on how far I can go. My boyfriend lives 1/2 hour away from me without traffic... Usually the places I go daily are a 10-20 minute drive.

[squirt]

zzs, if you are willing to work at the exercises you can cure yourself on your own but you have to work on yourself everyday to get yourself better. I was in a cbt group and it has helped me immensely. If you can join one I would highly recommend it. If not there are lots of good books on cbt you could get and cbt is basically do it yourself stuff anyway. One of the ones we used in my group has a really good introduction to the whole process called Been there, done that? do this! by sam obitz. The tea form exercise in that book has helped me a ton and I still do them all the time when I get upset or anxious. Best of luck to you and try cbt one way or the other smile

[Beachgirl]

zzs, if you are willing to work at the exercises you can cure yourself on your own but you have to work on yourself everyday to get yourself better. I was in a cbt group and it has helped me immensely. If you can join one I would highly recommend it. If not there are lots of good books on cbt you could get and cbt is basically do it yourself stuff anyway. One of the ones we used in my group has a really good introduction to the whole process called Been there, done that? do this! by sam obitz. The tea form exercise in that book has helped me a ton and I still do them all the time when I get upset or anxious. Best of luck to you and try cbt one way or the other smile

This is so money. My group and using the TEA forms have been the best gift to myself I could ever give to me.

[dna_hard]

first, sorry for your hardship as of lately; your boyfriend should help you instead of making threats of leaving... Unless you refuse to help your self, you would be suprised how much stronger you are when being independent. Trust me, i am co dependent on my wife and she totally understands my condition. I hate traffic, but one thing that i can advice you is that you find someone to ride with you and you can go alot further then 20 minutes.

I have been there and done this, anxiety is comes in waves, if you just fight through that first big wave, the waves get smaller and smaller. You gotta forget about trying to get home fast because that anticipation is causing you much more stress which builds more anxiety, also do not be scared to take xanax or something to calm when you go on trips, 20 minutes away or one hour away, that anxiety will fade over time. I do not like that first 20 minutes of the trip, but i can actually feel the anxiety going down but you gotta have someone there supporting you. I live in houston and hate the traffic here; but i gotta get out sometimes, its part of life and you feel better when you get home. Staying in the house all the time causes more anxiety over time then pushing myself to get out from time to time.

[Dixxie]

The anxiety does come and go in waves...when I had to take a taxi with my son after his jaw surgery, I felt the wave coming on (sitting in the back of taxi) and had to roll down the window for cool air. Coming home from the doctor it was no problem. Same with going on the Commuter train.. Go Train....I could feel it coming on....then after 10 min. of thinking and being quiet, i was able to compose myself again. It's shitty isn't it???

I am trying a group tonite.....7 p.m. My mother looked shocked when I told her I wanted to go because taking pills is really not the answer for me in the long run. They make you feel like a zombie and give headaches...they're okay for some people though.......apparently. :)

[Beachgirl]

Dixxie, I think it is great you are going to a group tonight. If we truly want to get better it really is up to us to take action. I hope it is a CBT based group like mine was, they are really excellent and the TEA form exercise from the book by sam obitz is a lifesaver. Work on them everyday and you will gain the upper hand on your anxieties. Keep up the good work!

[djkikis]

hugs. wow i feel your pain. I know how hard it is. I've been dealing with anxiety and depression for a long long time. And I'm blessed because my parents are lucky enough to be able to support me. It is such a difficult thing to go through, it's been horrendous for me. *Hugs*

[trackstar]

I agree about cbt and you really help yourself with it so I'm pretty sure anyone that is motivated can do it on their own for free at the library or if you can't leave your house you can order books on-line. I just finished my 16-week group and cant believe i feel this much better already. We used the book by obitz and the tea forms in my group and they really are awesome.

[squirt]

Wow this is an old thread that has come back to life... Zzz's if you are still around I hope you are doing better. Dixxie how did your group go? Was it a cbt based group? I hope whatever kind it was that it was helpful. Good to see others posting about their successes with cbt and the tea form. They saved my life :D

[Beachgirl]

Dixxie, how did your group end up going girl? Inquiring minds want to know :tongue:

[trackstar]

Hi Dixie, we have not met but this is the second thread I noticed people asking how your group went and now I am curious :o Was it a cbt group?

[Beachgirl]

Dixxie you still out there? Stop by and give us an update when you get a chance. We care :)

[kevinpanic]

I can't afford it either.

I am trying the Linden Method, which I downloaded through utorrent on piratebay. I know its not right, but I would rather try something before buying it, then if it works I will pay for it.

Maybe you should try that too, from what I have read it has helped people.

[trackstar]

Kevin did Linden work for you? I looked into it and it looked a lot like it was just a repackaged commercialized version of CBT. I hope it helped but I would try reading the cbt books mentioned here and just doing the TEA form exercise everyday. Take care.

[Beachgirl]

I think the linden method is commercialized cbt, which is at least based on something that does work rather than just another hyped miracle cure.

[trackstar]

So Beach are you recommending Linden or just saying it's better than other hyped anxiety treatments? :unsure:

[Beachgirl]

So Beach are you recommending Linden or just saying it's better than other hyped anxiety treatments? :unsure:

No I'm not recommending Linden at all! I'm just saying that it at least has some science behind it but I still think it's a waste of money considering you can get better quality CBT for a lot less money in a group or for almost no money at all if you do it on your own through books and on-line resources.

[squirt]

So Beach are you recommending Linden or just saying it's better than other hyped anxiety treatments? :unsure:

No I'm not recommending Linden at all! I'm just saying that it at least has some science behind it but I still think it's a waste of money considering you can get better quality CBT for a lot less money in a group or for almost no money at all if you do it on your own through books and on-line resources.

I would agree with this. It is at least based on CBT so it is better than most stuff out there, but why not get true CBT for less money or do it on your own through CBT based books like the one by Obitz. The TEA form alone will help most people if they work on them daily.

[Beachgirl]

So Beach are you recommending Linden or just saying it's better than other hyped anxiety treatments? :unsure:

No I'm not recommending Linden at all! I'm just saying that it at least has some science behind it but I still think it's a waste of money considering you can get better quality CBT for a lot less money in a group or for almost no money at all if you do it on your own through books and on-line resources.

I would agree with this. It is at least based on CBT so it is better than most stuff out there, but why not get true CBT for less money or do it on your own through CBT based books like the one by Obitz. The TEA form alone will help most people if they work on them daily.

I do agree about authentic CBT and the value of doing the TEA forms daily. Been a big help for me getting it back together :D

[Robbed]

The Linden Method may be based on tried-and-true CBT. But there is another problem that I have with it besides expense. Specifically, the way that it overpromises results. As I understand it, the Linden Method speaks of being cured in mere days. But this is NEVER the way it happens. And expecting these kinds of results can be VERY harmful, as it can cause you to give up on the treatment. When undergoing ANY kind of CBT (whether it be TEA forms, exposure, or acceptance), you MUST be realistic about the time frame in which recovery will occur. Typically, anxiety recover occurs over a time frame of months to years (rather than days or weeks). There are simply no quick fixes for anxiety disorder.

[squirt]

The Linden Method may be based on tried-and-true CBT. But there is another problem that I have with it besides expense. Specifically, the way that it overpromises results. As I understand it, the Linden Method speaks of being cured in mere days. But this is NEVER the way it happens. And expecting these kinds of results can be VERY harmful, as it can cause you to give up on the treatment. When undergoing ANY kind of CBT (whether it be TEA forms, exposure, or acceptance), you MUST be realistic about the time frame in which recovery will occur. Typically, anxiety recover occurs over a time frame of months to years (rather than days or weeks). There are simply no quick fixes for anxiety disorder.

I did not realize it promised a cure in days; That's just ridiculous! I totally agree that over promising hurts more people than it helps by creating unrealistic expectations. There are no quick fixes and making ridiculous claims like that hurt everyone.

[Beachgirl]

The Linden Method may be based on tried-and-true CBT. But there is another problem that I have with it besides expense. Specifically, the way that it overpromises results. As I understand it, the Linden Method speaks of being cured in mere days. But this is NEVER the way it happens. And expecting these kinds of results can be VERY harmful, as it can cause you to give up on the treatment. When undergoing ANY kind of CBT (whether it be TEA forms, exposure, or acceptance), you MUST be realistic about the time frame in which recovery will occur. Typically, anxiety recover occurs over a time frame of months to years (rather than days or weeks). There are simply no quick fixes for anxiety disorder.

I did not realize it promised a cure in days; That's just ridiculous! I totally agree that over promising hurts more people than it helps by creating unrealistic expectations. There are no quick fixes and making ridiculous claims like that hurt everyone.

That is crazy! I did not realize that either :o

[squirt]

The Linden Method may be based on tried-and-true CBT. But there is another problem that I have with it besides expense. Specifically, the way that it overpromises results. As I understand it, the Linden Method speaks of being cured in mere days. But this is NEVER the way it happens. And expecting these kinds of results can be VERY harmful, as it can cause you to give up on the treatment. When undergoing ANY kind of CBT (whether it be TEA forms, exposure, or acceptance), you MUST be realistic about the time frame in which recovery will occur. Typically, anxiety recover occurs over a time frame of months to years (rather than days or weeks). There are simply no quick fixes for anxiety disorder.

I did not realize it promised a cure in days; That's just ridiculous! I totally agree that over promising hurts more people than it helps by creating unrealistic expectations. There are no quick fixes and making ridiculous claims like that hurt everyone.

That is crazy! I did not realize that either :o

Thank God we have people like Robbed to call out the over promisers (is that even a word?). Anyway having been suckered by many get quick cures before finding something legitimate it really boils my blood to hear about alleged quick fixes for profit like the Linden method that are ripping people off :evil:

[Beachgirl]

Yep. Robbed is a valuable resource and a nice guy :)

[anxietyguy]

hi there

perhaps it would be possible to get free counselling from students who are in theri final year or something?

sometimes they need to build up their hours. and will do it for a very low price or maybe for free

just a thought

you might find my blog useful

[squirt]

Great idea anxietyguy :)

[Beachgirl]

hi there

perhaps it would be possible to get free counselling from students who are in theri final year or something?

sometimes they need to build up their hours. and will do it for a very low price or maybe for free

just a thought

you might find my blog useful

Great idea, but try and find a CBT program if possible.

[louiseevans222]

Why the hell do you want to harm yourself....

I know anxiety can really get bad at times, and so can depression, iv'e suffered from generalized anxiety that turned into agoraphobia.....

But what many people don't undertand is that you can easily get over anxiety and depression all together....

Im not talking about going to the doctor because they don't help, I'm not talking about keeping on a healthy diet....

There is a fast way to get rid of depression and anxiety....

Depression and anxiety is a mind thing, once you change your thinking, you have the power to think whatever you want...

you don't NEED to go through this, you don't NEED to feel like this, by changing you thinking subconciously without paying an arm and a leg, you can change your life around completely....

Click below to get the FREE software that will allow you to be happy free of stress, and feeling great about life!

[nervousbutterflies]

this makes me so mad! i do not understand why some one has to pay a ton of money to feel normal! i am going through the same thing, my insurance wont even cover my phychiatrist appointments so i barely could afford to go there! my agoraphobia is getting bad because i cant go to the places i once loved like the beach or on any type of vacation. I cant even go a half hour away without thinking i might panic!

[Beachgirl]

Depression and anxiety is a mind thing, once you change your thinking, you have the power to think whatever you want...


This is exactly what I found to be true! Without learning how to counter my thoughts with the cbt exercises I would not be where I am today. It feels so good to be off meds and in charge of my destiny now.