Yes, I know I am young to be stuck indoors.

Dear Doctor

Yes, I know I am young (comparatively to whatever you believe the age to be) to be stuck indoors, but can I tell you something? There are many different reasons why somebody could never go outside.

And I can understand that you believe only old people in caring/nursing homes or what have you should be indoors. That’s a common misconception. Oh dear! Did you not know that?

There are many different reasons a person might not venture outside the house. Of course, sometimes it is mental, but it can also be a physical or emotional response as well. People suffer from all kinds of things that they refuse to admit to medical practitioners and sometimes haven’t even admitted it to themselves.

Facing up to things that are wrong can take time. And until the patient does so, there is nothing that will help. Because they are not expressing the right need for help. I have been given help for different things, but in the end, it didn’t work because it wasn’t the right problem.

And people can become agoraphobic for lots of reasons. They may not want to go outside. Or they might be afraid of things that could go wrong if they weren’t in a “safe” place. Or maybe they don’t want to be near other people. Or maybe there’s some emotional challenge. Or maybe they can’t get out because they are physically challenged.

Can I tell you something? Putting a plaster on a broken leg doesn’t heal it, because you’re not dealing with the break inside the leg. And it’s the same with people stuck at home. You have to be able to find the REAL problem and deal with it. Yes, you only have a limited time for patients but someone has to be able to give them the support necessary.

If you don’t have time to work out what is wrong, could you please send me to someone who does?

Thank you!

The Invisible Patient