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A young woman who’s refused to leave her home because of a mental condition now lives her entire life through social media.
Abby Lewis, from New Castle, England, was diagnosed with agoraphobia – a type of anxiety disorder in which you fear and avoid places or situations that might cause you to panic, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Since her diagnosis, the 22-year-old has missed out on years of Christmas celebrations and going out with her close friends, reports The Sun.
"It’s hard for anyone else to understand how I feel or why I feel like it, as I don’t even know what triggered it myself,” says Abby. "I miss out on everything. I have no life – something has to change.”
Abby, who’s been battling mental health issues since the age of 10, has been living her life through Facebook after suffering severe heart palpitations and collapsing on a bus while trying to meet up with friends.
Things weren’t easy for Abby when she went to school, she says it felt like “having to take over the world.”
The former teaching assistant told Metro News that she can’t go further than her backyard, and even the thought of visiting her grandmother, who lives only four doors away, makes her tummy turn.
Although she finds it incredibly difficult to attend social gatherings, Abby met her boyfriend Rhys Irving (22), who helped her cope with her condition, at one of her friend’s house.
After the pair moved in together, Abby got a job at a bridal store and says she felt her “life was good”.
But her joy didn’t last too long after she had to consult a doctor when her friend cut her off because of her mental illness.
“I gave up my job in the bridal shop because that just felt like too much to cope with," she said.
“I was phoning in sick so often and giving them every excuse under the sun because I couldn’t explain what was going on in my own mind.
“I also told Rhys I was moving in with my parents because the long days sat alone whilst he was at work all became just too much,” she says.
Although Abby hasn’t left her house for more than two years, she says her boyfriend has accepted her phobia.
“He’s amazing. He cooks for us and we watch movies together and discuss our future when hopefully someday I’ll be able to go out again.”
Sources: thesun.co.uk, metro.co.uk, dailystar.co.uk
