Basinger opened up about her struggle for the first time, describing her experience with this condition as “really horrible.” She went on to reveal that, “I wouldn’t leave the house. I would no longer go to dinner,” according to People. The 68-year old actress discussed that at first, she wasn’t aware of what her condition was, reported the outlet.
RTT: Kim Basinger Says She Had to ‘Relearn to Drive’ After Years of Agoraphobia Left Her Housebound https://t.co/bYsWrV2BMj
— People (@people) April 26, 2022
According to Mayo Clinic, agoraphobia is “a type of anxiety disorder in which you fear and avoid places or situations that might cause you to panic and make you feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed,” and is “caused by fear that there’s no easy way to escape or get help if the anxiety intensifies.”
Explaining her personal experience, Basinger said, “You live with a dry mouth all the time, you’re very shaky, you’re just so exhausted all the time,” according to People.
Most people with agoraphobia experience have had an anxiety attack which causes them greater worry about having another one, leading to the person to avoid places which they have associated with being potential areas or situations where an anxiety attack may occur, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Janelle Monae, Kim Basinger, Cheslie Kryst’s mother and more in the Season 5 trailer of @RedTableTalk pic.twitter.com/mihlDSYJa8
— Glock Topickz (@Glock_Topickz) April 19, 2022
Basinger detailed her experience, revealing the ongoing struggle that caused her a variety of setbacks. “Like something just completely shuts down within you and you have to relearn everything,” she said, according to People. “I had to relearn to drive, and for many years I would not go through the tunnels at Malibu.”
“Everything used to make me nervous, like the glass [sliding] to open the door, or, ‘Where do I step to open the door?’ Everything became a big job to figure out how to do it,” she said, according to the outlet.
Basinger’s full interview will be shown on “Red Table Talk” Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET on Facebook Watch, according to People.