I get scared to enter buildings

[iwanttoknowmybody1]

I have this huge fear of buildings, houses, stairs, even going into a bathroom- I always feel a panic attack form and my first thoughts always are "this is going to collapse on me and kill me-" it has gotten so bad that everytime I go to a mall to watch a movie, I have to get something cold and numb my face and hands down so I can distract myself from thinking that the entire place is going to collapse and kill me and everyone I know. Has anyone else had thoughts like this? I want to stop this form of thinking so bad, it is honestly affecting me both mentally and physically. Sometimes my stomach hurts so bad from the fear to the point where I start dry heaving and/or start to get a panic attack. What can I do to change this?

[specialmom]

Hi, I'm sorry no one has written to you yet. That's terrible. There is another very LONG thread about people afraid of floors collapsing. It may be more common than you think. Your mental health issue/phobia/anxiety/ocd (whichever it is formally going to be diagnosed with) is disrupting your life too much!  Have you considered seeing a psychiatrist (medication could really help. Not a short term anxiety med but a long term medication like an SSRI?) and a psychologist who does cbt/dbt or ERP therapy? All work very well and all three would be beneficial. CBT is talk therapy involving how you think and challenging it. DBT is coping skills and mindfulness to get you through hard moments like when the fear takes over. And ERP is exposure response therapy and is the gold standard for getting over a phobia.

Here is the old thread that may be interesting for you to read. https://www.medhelp.org/posts/Mental-Health-Issues/Anyone-heard-of-this-phobia-fear-of-floor-collapse/show/1936682