You should probably get medication and see a therapist. Therapy seems to have kind of worked, so I would say continue it and be totally honest with your therapist. The medication could help the anxiety and panic that you can't work on

Damn, OP, that sucks.

Medication for anxiety is a band-aid solution; it is meant to help you reach a point where you're receptive to therapy. It isn't made to simply cover up the symptoms that result, to allow you to avoid fixing the underlying issues, but that's what a lot of people do.

I'd absolutely suggest getting back into therapy immediately if anxiety is negatively impacting your life. Behavioral therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can work wonders, if you're willing to put in the time and effort to build a good program in conjunction with a mental health specialist.
Your agorophobia crosses a line, making your anxiety a true mental health emergency, in my eyes. Embracing that by accepting it is a shame, sinful, even, in that you know it is the worst possible thing you can do for yourself. As much as you might want to, running and hiding indoors specifically to avoid anxiety is about as self destructive for you as hanging out in bars is for a confirmed alcoholic.

OP, if you're not getting much out of therapy, is that your doing, or the therapists? Either change therapists or reflect more on what you're doing right or wrong for your part.
Talk-based therapies are a mutual effort. It requires careful, attentive work on both of your parts- it's more than just talking on your end, OP. You're talking, reflecting on your responses, but you're also supposed to be doing exercises and reflection outside the office, aren't you?
If you do Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, you'll be doing thought exercises, physical exercises, and discussing the results in your sessions, as well as getting assignments for exercises- most of the work you do will be on your own, and eventually the psychologist becomes a coach, helping you focus and adapt the therapy as it progresses.

Don't give up hope, OP. I'm a ship's captain, and I did CBT for anxiety. My doctor introduced us, because he went to the same specialist for anxiety, too.

>>17178711
>Therapy mostly feels like they are just getting me to talk for an hour and then they tell me to go outside.
Then get a better therapist. My rule of thumb: if you're not feeling anything after 6 sessions, switch. You have to have something called "rapport". If you don't feel like they understand and can help you, you might as well go pay a hooker and talk to her for an hour, it'll be cheaper.
Ask about CBT like Bob said, it's a structured approach (i'm guessing you've been using straight talk therapy so far?)

Go to a psychiatrist too, tell them what you're dealing with. They'll figure out whether medication is a good option in your case, and what to use if it is.
Ask them about Asperger's as well, get tested and diagnosed if you actually have it. Don't screw around with uncertainties, tie up that loose end.

Does the anxiety stem from social difficulties? If so, then it's the classic SA associated with congenital social defects, and the best treatment (imho) is to take a mild physical anxiolytic like propanolol (a beta blocker) and go out and learn social skills as best you can. It'll take you 10 times as long as a normal person, and will be 20 times as embarrassing, but that's what the beta blocker helps with: it slows imprinting of painful/traumatic memories (our brains deeply hate "social pain", they treat it like physical pain from wounds). I'm early on in this process myself right now, so you have company OP. Know that you're not the only one that has to struggle with it.

Otherwise, it's likely GAD and you'll likely need at least 2-5 years of therapy to exhaust the anxiogenic processes (every time you get rid of one, your brain will focus on another, you have to keep playing whac-a-mole with them until your brain runs out of primal fear pathways to exaggerate). This is often done with the aid of long-term anxiolytics like SSRIs, buspirone, benzoctamine, etc.

[cont].

[cont. from >>17178940]

I'd suggest enrolling in college right now. It'll provide an excellent environment to deal with the anxiety.
This doesn't mean a safe or comfortable environment: hell no.
It means one with a wide variety of stressors that you can choose how strongly to face and in what order: eg you can take gen-ed classes first if you're picking an anxiety-inducing major, or start off with course concentration work and then take classes like public speaking to challenge yourself later.
The social environment is very flexible at most colleges: you can choose your exposure level, but it's always at least a baseline amount which you'll have to deal with (important since it provides long-term low-level stress to cope with, instead of just bursts of extreme stress).

Don't wait until you think you're "ready", or you'll never do it. You have to force yourself.
That's how most of us do it. Can't do it the easy way, so we have to do it the hard way. Good luck.

>>17178775
>My doctor introduced us, because he went to the same specialist for anxiety, too.
Heh. i'll probably do this for people too eventually.

>>17178743
>>17178775
>>17178940
>>17178979
Thanks for the responses. I'll definitely head back to therapy. The first couple times didn't work out because I didn't know what to expect and thought it would be some miracle cure. I'll have to find another therapist anyway since I moved (which is why I stopped going to my last one).
That phrase comparing to agoraphobia and being indoors to alcoholics in a bar is nice. Puts it in a new perspective. I'll definitely put it to use.

I've been on medication before, mostly one or two SSRIs, Neurontin (which actually helped the first week), and an antipsychotic that I don't remember the name of. Like before, I expected them to be some sort of miracle cure so it may have been my fault that I thought they didn't work.