Kim Basinger shares fearful struggle with agoraphobia which stopped her leaving her house

express.co.uk:

Her debilitating anxiety attacks first began when she was shopping for groceries in a local health food store in California."My basket was almost full, and I found something really overcoming me in such a way that I couldn't breathe," she explained."So I left the basket, and I made it to my car, and that was the last time I drove for almost six, seven months."The agoraphobia attacks even left Kim with a fear of driving through tunnels in her home city of Malibu.The star told Jada that it took her years to overcome the fear, during which she was afraid even to receive guests at her home for dinner.Kim told how the anxiety left her with a constantly dry mouth, and she felt "shaky" and "exhausted all the time".She then had to "relearn" how to drive as she slowly readjusted to leaving the house again.9 1/2 Weeks star Kim previously addressed some of her issues in a documentary called Panic: A Film About Coping, which was released in 2001.She described a fear of public places as a debilitating issue she's suffered with all of her life."I stayed in my house and literally cried every day," she admitted.The NHS website describes agoraphobia as a condition causing "a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult or that help wouldn't be available if things go wrong".It lists some of the symptoms as rapid heart-beat, hyperventilation, dizziness, nausea and sweating, and suggests that traumatic events can sometimes be the trigger of the condition's onset.Kim's daughter Ireland has also suffered anxiety problems and the onset of an eating disorder, something which hurt Kim "worse than anything probably could".The model announced that she has been free of anorexia and bulimia for years now, but previously felt terror.