Well, there are varying severity levels for agoraphobia. It isn't just fear of outside, though that is a major major part for most sufferers. When the majority of your panic attacks happen outside you begin to not want to be there.
Several people in my family have suffered from agoraphobia to varying degrees, including myself. In the most extreme case, I have not seen my half brother in over ten years. He has not worked in ten years. He does still crave human contact and talking. So he calls everyone all the time. He doesn't call to talk about anything. Just to talk.
I'm a milder case. At my worst school assemblies would induce panic attacks. I learned to cope through therapy. There are certain rituals I need to do in order to be in certain areas. I note all the exits and devise the fastest route out of the location if I need to leave. This helps me a lot. I have escape routes planned.
Another thing that helps me is if I drive somewhere rather than am taken somewhere. Because if I'm taken I don't control when I can leave therefore I have no escape. Now if it's someone like my SO or parent driving me I'm fine but if it's a friend I will be a wreck no matter where we are or how much fun we're supposed to have.
Agoraphobia is like taking someone from a zombie apocalypse and plopping them into the real world. If you think of it like that, the same places you would be afraid of in zombie apocalypse land are the same places most agoraphobics have some degree of trouble in. This applies to myself especially, I don't do well in large crowds like malls on the biggest sale of the year. I will suddenly just need out because my brain is screaming that it is not safe there. If I stand in a wide open plain in the middle of a field I will get very uneasy very quickly. I usually don't stick around long enough to have a full panic attack because I'm busy hauling ass to the nearest building or cluster of trees.
I don't know if their will apply to your guy but personally, I feel safe in the trees. I do love outside but I am afraid of certain areas at the same time. That field is scary but I can chill in the treeline happily for hours and hours.
It's like a throwback to tribal days. I'm afraid of things that just don't apply in most modern settings.
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Several people in my family have suffered from agoraphobia to varying degrees, including myself. In the most extreme case, I have not seen my half brother in over ten years. He has not worked in ten years. He does still crave human contact and talking. So he calls everyone all the time. He doesn't call to talk about anything. Just to talk.
I'm a milder case. At my worst school assemblies would induce panic attacks. I learned to cope through therapy. There are certain rituals I need to do in order to be in certain areas. I note all the exits and devise the fastest route out of the location if I need to leave. This helps me a lot. I have escape routes planned.
Another thing that helps me is if I drive somewhere rather than am taken somewhere. Because if I'm taken I don't control when I can leave therefore I have no escape. Now if it's someone like my SO or parent driving me I'm fine but if it's a friend I will be a wreck no matter where we are or how much fun we're supposed to have.
Agoraphobia is like taking someone from a zombie apocalypse and plopping them into the real world. If you think of it like that, the same places you would be afraid of in zombie apocalypse land are the same places most agoraphobics have some degree of trouble in. This applies to myself especially, I don't do well in large crowds like malls on the biggest sale of the year. I will suddenly just need out because my brain is screaming that it is not safe there. If I stand in a wide open plain in the middle of a field I will get very uneasy very quickly. I usually don't stick around long enough to have a full panic attack because I'm busy hauling ass to the nearest building or cluster of trees.
I don't know if their will apply to your guy but personally, I feel safe in the trees. I do love outside but I am afraid of certain areas at the same time. That field is scary but I can chill in the treeline happily for hours and hours.
It's like a throwback to tribal days. I'm afraid of things that just don't apply in most modern settings.