FOR most people, leaving the house and going shopping is a way of life.

But when Caroline Carcioni steps into the outside world she immediately wants to go back home.

The 37-year-old suffers from the psychological disorder agoraphobia, a fear of being in large open, public places.

It is a condition which affects 300,000 victims in the UK and sufferers often find it difficult to merely stand in line at a supermarket or sit in the middle of a long row at the cinema.

The illness can affect a person so much, it leaves them housebound. Bolton Evening News reporter Dave Crookes went to see Mrs Carcioni to hear her incredible story. CAROLINE Carcioni is a victim of agoraphobia -- so afraid of leaving her house that she gave birth to her five-month-old son in her living room.

The condition affects her so much that her husband and 12-year-old son go on holiday without her.

In an intimate interview, when she talked bravely about her suffering, she admitted she often finds life unbearable.

"I don't know what causes it. If it was as easy as that I think I would have found the solution by now.

"One day I got a panic attack about going out and I sat on the bathroom floor crying. I didn't know why I felt that way.

"It got to the point where I was scared of the outside world and became fearful of what my response would be to it.

"I'm still like that now. I still feel that if I go out and have a panic attack people will look at me."

Mrs Carcioni, who lives in Sharples, continually refers to her lack of confidence as being a probable factor in her illness.

Yet she remained open and talkative throughout the interview, revealing details of what she termed as a "contradictory illness".

She said: "What is agoraphobia if it is not a mental illness? I'm not unsociable and I love to chat but I am always scared that people will think I am mental.

"That's why I didn't want to have my second child in hospital. I was afraid the doctors would think I was mad and lock me away.

"At home I have a system which lets me deal with things properly."

The illness has caused her numerous family problems.

She broke down in tears as she gave details of a conversation she had with her son: "He wanted me to go to the cinema with him but I couldn't bear the thought. He turned to me and became nasty.

"It aggravates my husband as well and he can get so frustrated, but I can't help it.

"It's an illness worse than an actual illness. People can't see it so they always believe they can cure you and are always saying 'stick with me, you'll be all right'."

She had tried counselling which gave her some confidence to leave the house. But she added: "I sometimes stand on a traffic island and panic that I will run across the road and kill myself. It's illogical, I know, but there is nothing I can do about it."

Agoraphobia is diagnosed in 3.9pc of women and 1.8pc of men. The disorder most often begins in the early 20s.

Andrew O'Hara, a spokesman for Bury-based self-help group, Panic Stations, said: "Most people with agoraphobia have been housebound for a long period of time and with that comes an even greater lack of confidence about going out.

"We try to break that mould and create a safe environment for them. Hopefully that will help them to rebuild their confidence but in many cases more advanced help is needed and one-to-one counselling is one of those options."