I have experienced the phase of being shut off and that agoraphobia has made me less explore world. But with that I have fought with enough efforts and now the life is moving towards some real value as well. I suppose not all people go through this the same way.
Different conditions have different affects on people, making it hard to compare even the same circumstances. Look at something simple like the temperature - it is what it is - but while one can feel cold, another can feel too warm.