interval_illusion, I'm sorry to hear you have agoraphobia, it's very hard to deal with. I've had it for 4, almost 5 years now (3 of those of which I've NEVER left my home, and the reasons for my agoraphobia are pretty much the same as yours barring a few differences). I've learned that people in general will not understand when you speak about your problems, they will think you are looking for attention (which you are in a way, you are looking for understanding, so it's a bit different, we all do that). Some people have more drama than others in their lives, some people choose to speak about it and some hide it away. If you feel that you are misunderstood or attacked for being open in the forums you might want to look into an online journal or something to that effect. The journal service I use is www.livejournal.com they have communities for people who suffer from abuse, addicts, panic disorder, and agoraphobia. You can't really get too upset with people for not understanding for they've never experienced it (although I know it's hard not to). Good luck in beating agoraphobia.