Agoraphobia - Money and benefits? (UK)?

Hi.


I'd like to start off by saying that I haven't been diagnosed with anything, yet. But I think I have agoraphobia.


First of all, since I'm weary of the ammount of characters I have to post this with, I'll try to keep things short and to the point, but I will provide an email adress if you'd like to have a more detailed conversation with me.


I want to know how I would go about Signing off and perhaps getting incapacity benefit or some form of benefit that helps me get a job working from home.


My 'symptoms' of going out are;


Extreme anxiety (to the point I nearly have to take a knife with me, now, even though it's illegal).


Sickness. (i'm a person that can eat 3 large pizza's as just one meal and never throw up, whereas no matter what I eat or do, leaving my house results in me nearly vomitting or actually vomitting every time).


I also was kicked out of college and Secondary school for attacking my tutors... I don't know why, but I couldn't stand being there so I lost controll. I hate it, because I'm a really peaceful person. I don't want to be violent at all.


I kind of have to go out in a disguise. I know it sounds silly, but I make sure my beard is well grown, I have sunglasses, a large hat, gloves, pretty much anything to keep people from actually seeing me underneith all of this.


I can't talk, I stutter, I panic over ANY social interaction (being asked for a ciggarrette usually ends in me giving people money to go and buy an entire pack of fags)


Ignorance (I won't stop for anyone. Friend, family, partner. If you see me outside, the people closest to me know that its best for me if they just let me know later that they saw me).


etc etc.


The problem is, I'm 19 and have been signing on for 2 years. I haven't tried to follow this route before because I've always thought it would end up, in some way, in me being forced to face my phobia (Like you see on those shows about facing fears and stuff).


I'm now with an organisation that requires I go see them every week, at least once, and have 5 or more job applications with me, or they'll stop my JSA.


Please don't get me wrong, this isn't laziness or unwillingness to work. I want a job, I want money so that I can get a home for me and my girlfriend (I live with my parents at the moment) and we canbe independant. But how can I do that if everything I need to do ends up in me being outside.


Let me also clear something up. I'm not too bad, in my home street, out in the garden, etc, but only for limitted periods of time (For example, I can go down the street to the shop for a pint of milk, I can't, however, stay outside my house for more than 5-10 minutes talking with friends/family without these symtoms starting up.





I don't know whats wrong with me, and I don't know what to do or who to ask. What I'm also scared of is the idea of people labelling me 'lazy' and take away my JSA for not keeping to the conditions I agreed to. I've been kicked out on one occasion, and I was homeless for only a few days, but I've never, NEVER been more terrified or ill. When I came back, I became depressed and nearly took my own life several times, and have self harmed more times that I can count. I'm recovering from that, now, but I can't do that again.





Please, can somebody advise me on what to do? Like I said, I'd like to work from home (On a steady wage, not commission) where I can keep to myself and the few people I trust to be near me. But, of course, if thats not possible, just anything so I don't have to go out every week, anymore.





My email address (Secondary, so I can check frequently, but won't get hacked/spammed, etc) is:


Flyff_Newb_X04@hotmail.co.uk





If you think you can help me or need more information or, well, anything, PLEASE email me. I don't want to live as a liar and a cheat and a statistic anymore. But I can't keep facing whats out there.





Thank you for reading.


If you couldn't read through all of it, I'm terrified of going out, but I have to do it to get money so I can live. At least skim through it so you have a better idea of what I'm trying to say.





Karu.|||Heykaru I ran across a brand new Real Estate Flip Method that you can make alot of extra money monthly with little work.I have been having great success with it,maybe this is something which could be right for you. Well good luck|||You may well have some level of social anxiety, and I'm unsure about agoraphobia, so check out the posts on them, depression, and self harm, at http://your-mental-health.8m.com/blank_2鈥?/a> then pages E, 3, B, %26amp; A. A previous answer follows: Consult a speech therapist, soon. One speech therapist advises that slowing your speech is not the solution, but, for those who can't access therapy: Try deliberately slowing your speech. You could try several different talking speeds: 85%, 90%, 95%, and 100% Consider your current rate of speech as being 105%; a rate at which you stutter frequently. Go back to 85%, then slowly increase, in stages, until you begin to stutter noticeably: then go back to 85%, and work your way up to the rate before you began stuttering at a rate that you find unacceptable. Keep at that rate, for a good while, maybe later, risking stepping it up one more notch; confident that you can always work your way back up from 85% again.





Think of it in terms of modem speeds on your computer: if that speed is set too high for the connection to the ISP, there will be problems. You may well be currently "overclocking" your speech modem: the difference between your brain speed, and the rate at which you are able to speak clearly and distinctly, without stuttering markedly, is the issue. Stammering may be a symptom of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) which can be diagnosed and treated by a clinical psychologist, or psychiatrist. In the mean time, I have heard that if you start to breath out just before you begin vibrating your vocal cords to make sound, that establishes momentum that helps reduce stammering. It may be worth trying. View www.stammering.com/ and http://www.stammering.ch/





See http://www.stutteringhelp.org/ and http://www.stuttering.net/ and http://www.stutteringtreatment.org/ and http://www.speakeasy.org.au/ and http://www.stuttering.org/bsrp.html





It may also be helpful to visit http://your-mental-health.8m.com/blank_2鈥?/a> (social anxiety is addressed there, and on page e; OCD also; see pages f, and i) about self confidence, and self esteem, and try the EFT version for use in public places, for which you can reasonably claim to have a headache, as you massage/tap your temples, at www.mercola.com SEARCHBAR "eft" and "eft therapists locator" or www.tapping.com, (13 free videos) or www.emofree.com saying/subvocalising to yourself something like: "Even though I may sometimes stutter/stammer, I deeply and completely accept myself". Stuttering is thought to involve more than speech, but also to involve your breathing pattern, and feelings. It may always be with you, to some extent, but the idea is to minimise it, and not let it hold you back in life.|||I'm not sure if I'm understanding "incompacity" correctly because I'm in the USA but am wondering if you are talking about what we would call it, disability pay from the government to assist you in your living expenses or adapt them to you better so you don't have to leave the house? That's just my guess, and since I'm from the USA I've already let you down because I don't know your country's basic laws. Here, however, you would need to start with seeing a doctor to get a correct diagnosis for your problem. If he finds you unable to work, he would help you file the papers. Sorry I can't be much more help than that, but I would recommend that you begin by seeing a doctor anyway so that you can get some help on your own fears. Good luck to you, I hope you can get the help you need.