Kim Basinger reveals she lived with crippling anxiety: 'I wouldn't leave the house'
Kim Basinger is opening up about an anxiety disorder that impacted her life for years.
The Oscar-winning actress, known for movies like "L.A. Confidential" and 1989's "Batman," is set to appear on a new episode of "Red Table Talk", where she opens up about living with agoraphobia.
"I wouldn't leave the house. I would no longer go to dinner," the 68-year-old told hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Adrienne Banfield Norris and Willow Smith in her first public interview in over 14 years.
Agoraphobia is "a marked fear or anxiety" about two of the following five situations: using public transportation; being in open spaces; being in enclosed spaces, such as a shop or theater; standing in line or being in a crowd; or being outside the home alone, according to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
"It's really horrible to feel that as really fiercely as I did during those years and not know what it was," Basinger continued. "It's like something just completely shuts down within you and you have to relearn everything.
"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 going 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."
The American Psychiatric Association notes that agoraphobia can be serious and doctors only diagnose individuals with agoraphobia if their fear is "intensely upsetting" or significantly impacts their daily life. Treatments for agoraphobia may vary but can include therapy and medication.
Basinger added that beyond the mental challenges of agoraphobia, she also experienced physical symptoms.
"You live with a dry mouth all the time. You're very shaky. You're just so exhausted all the time," she said.
