Today’s funtastic new word? Agoraphobia. Often thought of as a fear of crowds, it is more accurately described as being:

an anxiety disorder. Agoraphobia may arise by the fear of having a panic attack in a setting from which there is no perceived easy means of escape. Alternatively, social anxiety problems may also be an underlying cause. As a result, sufferers of agoraphobia avoid public and/or unfamiliar places, especially large, open spaces such as shopping malls or airports where there are few places to hide. In severe cases, the sufferer may become confined to his or her home, experiencing difficulty travelling from this safe place. Although mostly thought to be a fear of public places, it is now believed that agoraphobia develops as a complication of panic attacks.

(Wikipedia)

Can you imagine not only having a disease but also having a constant fear of it displaying in public? It is horrible. On the other hand, public washrooms have become a bastion of sanity for me.