Agoraphobia is a fear of being in places or situations where it may be difficult or embarrassing to get out quickly or where you may have a panic attack and can’t get help. It is characterized by intense fear and physical symptoms of panic, it should not be confused with shyness or simple embarrassment.
Agoraphobia occurs due to malfunctions of the neurotransmitters in the brain, specifically Serotonin.
What are the features of Agoraphobia?
People suffering from Agoraphobia :
- Go out of their way to avoid situations that could increase their feelings of anxiety, they are notorious for avoiding any type of social gathering, party or meeting, this increases their impulse to stay at home.
- They have a tendency to encourage other family members to stay with them to help with the feelings of anxiety when alone.
- They ask for a somebody to accompany them to events or during everyday tasks.
- Most sufferers begin to find reasons to stay home avoiding visiting friends, picking up children from school, going shopping or even avoid going to work altogether.
- They are frightened that they may let themselves down in front of family and friends.
How to determine if somebody is suffering from Agoraphobia?
One fairly simple way to begin to find out if somebody has this illness is by asking them to write down all the places, activities and locations they feel comfortable in or doing. They maybe able to create such a list, but when they go through the list, they feel uncomfortable with almost every place and activity.
How Agoraphobia progresses:
In early stages, when agoraphobics try to venture into such new locations, difficult situations and activities they suffer from physical symptoms of panic.
If you are suffering from Panic/Anxiety attacks, Agorophobia or OCD, Watch this video
As the disease progresses, agoraphobics find themselves having these same feelings of uneasiness in solitary, everyday situations such as grocery shopping, running errands, doctors’ visits or simply visiting friends. As the fears start to become more and more frequent , they multiply upon themselves. In some extreme cases, some agoraphobics end up confined to their own home and refuse to go out at all. In terribly advanced cases, they confine themselves to one “safe” room or place.
Treatment is usually sought out from a Psychiatrist or a therapist. The most commonly prescribed drugs are antidepressants like Zoloft, commonly known as a SSRI, which allows the Serotonin in the brain to flow easily without being absorbed.
A therapist focuses on teaching the patient to deal with the panic attacks. Fear in Agoraphobia can seem very real. It is the perceived value of this fear that helps or hurts while finding solutions to daily challenges and problems in Agoraphobics. The therapist helps the patient take baby steps towards difficult situations until the patient becomes desensitized to the fear and is able to function normally. Linden-method is considered the best treatment so far.
If you’re suffering from anxiety attacks and would like to know what is agoraphobia and take control of your anxiety without medications, then take a minute and check this out.
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