Man ‘suffering from agoraphobia’ kicked out of local GP surgery after he was spotted down the PUB | The Sun
A PATIENT claiming to suffer from agoraphobia has been kicked out of his local GP surgery after he was spotted down the pub.
John Cholerton, 41, had complained over his treatment of his fear of outside space by doctors.
But GPs have withdrawn him from their patient list as they claim he had been seen at a boozer.
He even has a photo of him down the pub on his open Facebook profile.
John, of Stapleford, Notts, insists this is exposure therapy and part of his treatment and said his mental health had declined as a result of poor treatment he claims he has received.
He said he had not been to the GP for months because of agoraphobia, anxiety and depression – but the surgery hit back in a letter saying he had been seen in a pub after making a complaint.
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He said: "I just want to be seen by someone, or even to speak to me over the phone. I feel totally neglected.
"My mental health has got a lot, lot worse. I haven’t had face to face contact with them for a long while, and it has made me feel a lot worse – like I have nowhere to turn.”
His wife Sam Cholerton, 37, added: "He’s not in the pub boozing every other night.
"It’s maybe once a month that he will go for exposure therapy.
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"John doesn’t even drink. He’s been teetotal for 15 years. He doesn’t touch the stuff anymore.
"It’s been so stressful."
Linden Medical Group said it had “done everything it could” to help.
Practice manager Fares Msaiei, added: "The removal of a patient is always a last resort for any practice and we will always do our best to avoid this.
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"However, we feel we have done everything we can to come to an understanding with Mr and Mrs Chorlerton, but sadly this has not been possible and it is with regret that we have had to remove them from our list."
Addressing the removal of the patients from the Linden Medical Group, a spokesperson for the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: "Although NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire is unable to comment on individual patient cases, we know that occasionally GPs may decide that the relationship of trust has been compromised and feel they are no longer able to deliver care without being conflicted or compromised."
WHAT IS AGORAPHOBIA?
Agoraphobia is a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult or help wouldn't be available if things go wrong.
It's often known as a fear of open or public spaces, but agoraphobics are also commonly scared of travelling on public transport, leaving home and visiting busy places.
If someone with agoraphobia finds themselves in a stressful situation, they will normally experience symptoms of a panic attack:
- Rapid heartbeat
- Hyperventilating
- Feeling hot and sweaty
- Nausea
They will often avoid situations which cause anxiety and may only leave the house with a partner or trusted friends.
They may also order groceries online rather than going to the supermarket. This is known as avoidance.
It is a complication of panic disorder – which currently affects 2% of Brits and will affect 3% at some point in their lifetime.
Agoraphobia is twice as common in women as in men and normally starts between the ages of 18 and 35.
With treatment, around a third of people are completely cured, half see an improvement in symptoms but one in five continue to experience troublesome symptoms for life.
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