Anxiety And Agoraphobia: Agoraphobia goes hand in hand with anxiety. In fact Agoraphobia is classified as an anxiety disorder by the medical fraternity.
It is important to understand that Anxiety disorders may often lead to Agoraphobia.
Not all people who develop an anxiety disorder develop agoraphobia, but many people do. Early diagnosis of anxiety disorders and early treatment and intervention can prevent Agoraphobia in patients suffering from anxiety disorders.
The presence of agoraphobia that has the following three components:
- Anxiety about being in places or situations where escape might be difficult or embarrassing, or in which help might not be available.
- Situations are avoided or endured with marked distress, or these situations are endured with anxiety about developing panic symptoms, or these situations require the presence of a companion.
- The anxiety is not better accounted for by another disorder, such as social phobia, where phobic avoidance is only limited to social situations.
Anxiety And Agoraphobia is accompanied by symptoms of panic which include:
- Palpitations, increased heart rate.
- Sweating.
- Trembling or shaking.
- Sensation of shortness of breath.
- Feeling of choking.
- Chest pain or discomfort.
- Nausea or abdominal distress.
- Feeling dizzy, light-headed or faint.
- Derealization or depersonalization.
- Fear of losing control or going crazy.
- Fear of dying.
- Tingling sensations in hands
- Chills or hot flushes
With early diagnosis of anxiety disorders and early intervention strategies, such as education and basic cognitive thinking skills, the development of Agoraphobia can be prevented.
There are many theories that explain the development of Agoraphobia but it is not clearly understood why Agoraphobia develops in a select few individuals.
Even drug treatment of Anxiety disorders with Benzodiazepines has been linked with the development of Agoraphobia. Benzodiazepines and tranquilisers are used as short-term treatment in anxiety disorders to provide relief to the patient, but if the patient uses these medications over a long period of time, there is an increased risk of developing secondary conditions such as Agoraphobia.
There are many ongoing research studies to determine the root cause of Agoraphobia, however it is more important to learn how to overcome Agoraphobia than to dig deep into the causes of Agoraphobia.
Let’s look at some of the leading concerns and problems Agoraphobics face in real life and look at strategies to overcome them.
Problems caused by Agoraphobia:
Agoraphobia can be gripping, the patient feels terrified and an apparently small chore becomes a huge obstacle that consumes a lot of strength or energy to overcome.
If you are suffering from Panic/Anxiety attacks, Agorophobia or OCD, Watch this video
Routine tasks such as going to the local shop to get a few groceries, walk up to the child’s school, becomes an activity that is dreaded all week, it tends to build up in the head and may even become the scariest thing imaginable.
Tips to overcome Agoraphobia:
The most successful therapy to overcome Agoraphobia involves controlled exposure. Gradual exposure to events that cause anxiety for the sufferer is the recommended form of treatment for agoraphobics. This treatment resembles the method used to treat panic disorders.
Other recommended treatments include cognitive therapies and relaxation techniques.
Identifying your thoughts:
Anxiety And Agoraphobia can place a strain on your nervous system and leave you weak and tired. So the first step is to identify what causes the strain and eliminate it. A good place to start is by identifying what thoughts run through your head before the anxiety sets in.
Take a sheet of paper and write down the thoughts that run through your head before the start of the anxiety attack.
The key here is to identify your inner voice and the kind of statements you make to yourself and once you identify them you need to replace them with calmer thoughts.
For example: If you say to yourself – “I feel terrified”, notice the thought, take a deep breath and replace it with a calming thought such as “ I am calm despite feeling terrified”.
Start practicing this exercise when you are operating on a normal level, practice , practice , practice until it becomes an instinct. Once the agoraphobic anxiety sets in , you want to maintain deep breathing and try this thought replacement exercise.
Chances are that you will be able to lessen your anxiety by 10-20% the first time, but with practice you will get more and more control over the situation.The best treatment for agoraphobia is Linden-method
. Do share this link with your friends as this will help them to educate n anxiety and agoraphobia.We humans have a very powerful thought process and it can be used to calm the mind and it can be achieved through repeated training and practice. We would be very happy if you like this page.
