Agrophobia

[Mazdana]

Hello, I have agoraphobia, but I only have fear of long roads that I cannot go out in an emergency. This situation has only existed for 6 months and I have come to a very good stage by facing my fears, but a psychiatrist in the country I live in said that I might have a heart attack while facing my fears. He talked about broken heart syndrome, because of this fear I can't face my fears? What can I do? So I have no problem facing my fear, I have never run away, I have always taken a long journey even though I am afraid, but since I researched this disease, my fears have increased even more. Why do people die from broken heart syndrome if they don't die from panic attacks?

[012703060610]

Well I am not sure a psychiatrist should be giving you actual physical medical advice. I can't imagine sitting through an appointment and getting that message. I am so sorry. Yes I have heart broken heart syndrome is real, but is rare. Is there something you are mourning at the moment? How is the psychiatrist linking agoraphobia to broken heart? I'm sorry I'm just not following. However, yes you can die from a panic attack too. Medical fears are difficult, but we have to face that managing both physical and mental health are important. I have a terminal diagnosis that can zap me at any moment. Of course I live terrified, I don't leave the house much at all unless its for another Drs appointment. I think you have a great attitude and you are battling the way to a healthier you by facing your fears. I wouldn't focus on this one comment because it's just one comment in the framework of your entire life. I fully appreciate though how a medical professional can disrupt your thought process and almost put you in a state of feeling frozen. Wishing you some peace of mind!

[Mazdana in reply to 012703060610]

All sources in the world say that if a person is healthy and does not have an underlying heart disease, if there is no heart disease in his family genetically, he will not have a heart attack due to a panic attack. I also know that broken heart syndrome is more effective in women and its incidence is very low. I know this rare condition is unlikely to even cause a heart attack, but the psychiatrist is a very famous person, and I feel like he's slurring the truth.

[Mazdana]

Psychologists and psychiatrists in Turkey are very cruel. If you live in Europe and the USA, you are very lucky. People in Turkey trust doctors incredibly, which is nice, but doctors are constantly scaring people to make more money. In the pandemic, I received 3 doses of biontech, the doctors who say to get vaccinated before the vaccine comes out, now say that you will all die and call them to their offices. Psychologists do not use CBT because CBT can be treated very quickly and takes fewer sessions. Psychologists try to earn more money by choosing the psychodynamic school, psychiatrists only prescribe drugs. Doctors in state free hospitals do not listen to your complaints because they are general practitioners and many patients apply. If you are examined by a state psychiatrist and prescribe medication, you cannot become a civil servant in Turkey. That's why I go to the private hospital and all my salary goes to psychotherapy sessions. That's why my wife left me and I have a lot of debts. There are hardly any traffic rules in our country, so trucks travel at 150 kilometers per hour, please see Turkey in traffic accident statistics. It is such a country that once in a while, bombs explode in our squares. That's why my dear friends. If you're in a safe country, please think about what I've been through and take strength from it. I have never used drugs and I continue to face it every day and I will. BECAUSE I WON'T AGREE TO USE A DRUG FOR LIVING, JUST TO LIVE NORMALLY, WHATEVER THE END.

[b1b1b1]

Can you see a doctor? I think that would help your fears. I am not a doctor, but unless you have serious underlying heart disease, I don't think facing your fears would give you a heart attack. Broken heart syndrome is real, as said by 012703------, but, as she said, it is rare. Is there a reason you have a broken heart? If there is, talking about it may help. x

[Mazdana in reply to b1b1b1]

In the last 6 months, I have been examined by 21 different cardiology doctors, all of them professors. I've had a 48-hour ECG device installed 2 times, I don't even have an additional pulse. I had about 30 echocardiograms, and again I had about 30 heart ultrasounds. I did the effort test 5 times. I had my blood checked 10 times. You see, I know that my heart does not have a physiological problem. Every doctor I go to says that broken heart syndrome is very, very rare. Since I have never practiced avoidance behavior, every time I go to a distant place, I wait to see when I'm going to have a heart attack. It's like I'm on the long haul, not to beat the fear, but to test if I'm having a heart attack. I am not having a heart attack and at the end of this journey I say yes you have traveled this distance, but if you go to a farther place, you will definitely have a heart attack. I am focusing directly on a bad outcome rather than having this unnecessary fear on me. As if living with this situation would not disturb my comfort if I was sure that I would not die from a panic attack. I feel so fragile that I overcame my fear of planes, I flew for 6 hours. I know that I get stuck with very illogical things and it makes me very sad that I can't move on with my life. Like a magnet, I attract people's fears to me, for example, if someone tells me about their phobia, I think I can develop that phobia. I think ocd accompanies my agoraphobia, I hear a voice inside me saying take the long road on the way home in the evening. I'm super competitive on this one.

[Afraidfortoolong]

So have you been diagnosed with broken heart syndrome by a regular doctor or just suggested that it could be a possibility by your psychiatrist? If it is just a possibility, I would say it's an extremely rare possibility. Especially if you have only been dealing with it for 6 months. I have dealt with it for over 30 years and no heart issues. Panic attacks do not cause damage. They are uncomfortable but never dangerous. I have been told by psychologists experts in panic that people who have panic disorder can still fly a plane, drive a bus, be a train conductor, be a doctor, a lawyer, a surgeon. Anything, because it is never dangerous. Having panic attacks does not mean there is something physically wrong with you. It's just your fear of fear that keeps it going. All of that comes from your caveman brain that wants to protect you and keep you alive, even if you are not in any real imminent danger at the moment. If you are afraid of the highway, it can be a legitimate fear but the reality is that statistically speaking, you don't have anything to worry about. Hope this helps a little.

[Mazdana in reply to Afraidfortoolong]

The cardiologist I went to said the probability of having broken heart syndrome is very low. But the psychiatrist said that the heart stops, fears can stop the heart. The funny thing is, why am I worried about something urgent on the highways? For it to be an emergency, I either need to be injured or have a serious illness, otherwise I keep thinking about an emergency situation. When I think of this, I feel relieved, but this time, facing fears will cause a heart attack and the phrase triggers me