Famous Agoraphobics

Many famous people have battled agoraphobia at one time of their lives or other. Here are a few:

Kim Basinger: The actress has said that she developed agoraphobia because she didn't like people staring at her body.

She said: "When I came to Hollywood, I could wear a bikini, but I was in misery because people were looking at me. So I wore baggy clothes and watched other girls get the big parts and awards. I used to go home and play piano and scream at night to let out my frustrations. And this led to my agoraphobia."

Sigmund Freud: The father of psychoanalysis suffered from agoraphobia and attempted to suppress it.

Paula Deen: The Southern cook and celebrity chef developed agoraphobia after being held at gunpoint during a bank robbery. She overcame the disorder after opening her own restaurant called The Lady and Sons in Savannah, Georgia.

George Mackay Brown: The British poet developed agoraphobia in his later years and rarely left his home.

William Ellery Leonard: The writer and English professor developed agoraphobia as a child after he was burned by steam from a passing train. He wrote about the incident in his 1927 book, The Locomotive God.

Billy Bob Thornton: The actor has said that he suffers from a mild form of agoraphobia: "I'm not exactly agoraphobic but I'm pretty close ... I'm really afraid to go out."

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