Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder. A person with agoraphobia is afraid to leave environments they know and consider to be safe for fear of having anxiety or a panic attack. Agoraphobia responds well to treatment.
In the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the diagnostic manual used by psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health professionals, two types of agoraphobia include panic disorder with agoraphobia and agoraphobia without a history of panic disorder.
Agoraphobia is a mental health condition that causes excessive fear of certain situations. Some people may even avoid leaving their home. Agoraphobia is manageable with treatment, which includes medication, cognitive behavioral therapy and lifestyle changes.
What causes agoraphobia? Agoraphobia can develop as a complication of panic disorder, an anxiety disorder involving panic attacks and moments of intense fear. It can arise by associating panic attacks with the places or situations where they occurred and then avoiding them.
About agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder. A person with agoraphobia is afraid to leave environments they know or consider to be safe. In severe cases, a person with agoraphobia considers their home to be the only safe environment. They may avoid leaving their home for days, months or even years.
Behavioural symptoms
Symptoms of agoraphobia relating to behaviour include: avoiding situations that could lead to panic attacks, such as crowded places, public transport and queues. being housebound – not being able to leave the house for long periods of time. needing to be with someone you trust when going anywhere.
Yes, you can cure agoraphobia with either medication, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or a combination of both. Banyan Mental Health offers CBT for agoraphobia.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most effective form of talk therapy for anxiety disorders, including agoraphobia. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on teaching you specific skills to better tolerate anxiety, directly challenge your worries and gradually return to the activities you've avoided because of anxiety.
An SSRI called sertraline is usually recommended for people with agoraphobia. Side effects associated with sertraline include: feeling sick. loss of sex drive (libido)
Risk factors
Agoraphobia can begin in childhood, but usually starts in the late teen or early adult years — usually before age 35. But older adults also can develop it. Females are diagnosed with agoraphobia more often than males are.
Lifetime Prevalence of Agoraphobia Among Adolescents
An estimated 2.4% of adolescents had agoraphobia at some time during their life, and all had severe impairment. The prevalence of agoraphobia among adolescents was higher for females (3.4%) than for males (1.4%).
The average total score reduces the overall score to a 5-point scale, which allows the clinician to think of the severity of the individual's agoraphobia in terms of none (0), mild (1), moderate (2), severe (3), or extreme (4).
The bulk of CBT treatment for agoraphobia involves exposure therapy, in which you systematically expose yourself to places and situations that you fear with guidance from your therapist. In doing so, you learn to tolerate the panic and anxiety until it lessens with repetition.
Agoraphobia is a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult or that help wouldn't be available if things go wrong. Many people assume agoraphobia is simply a fear of open spaces, but it's actually a more complex condition.
Agoraphobia in the Brain
Functional brain imaging studies using SPECT technology show that people with phobias, such as agoraphobia, tend to have excessive activity in an area of the brain called the basal ganglia. Other biological changes in the brain have also been noted.
The APPQ is a 27-item self-report questionnaire that measures fear of situations and activities that are often avoided by people who suffer from agoraphobia and social phobia. Each item is rated on a nine-point scale ranging from 0 (no fear) to 8 (extreme fear). The APPQ takes 5 minutes to complete.
Don't say “get over it” or “toughen up.” This can be frustrating for a person with agoraphobia and it can prevent them from reaching out for help in the future.
Medical research has linked magnesium to reduced anxiety. Magnesium helps you to relax by stimulating the production of melatonin and serotonin which boost your mood and help you sleep. Magnesium also reduces the production of cytokines and cortisol, which lead to increased inflammation and stress.
Agoraphobia has a heritability of about 60%. Panic disorder has a heritability of around 30%. This means genes will have a stronger effect on determining who develops agoraphobia, but environment will have a stronger effect on who develops panic disorder.
Agoraphobia Treatments
Your doctor will usually treat agoraphobia with therapy, medication, or a combination of the two. Therapy. Cognitive therapy can teach you new ways to think about or face situations that cause panic and help you be less afraid. You may also learn relaxation and breathing exercises.
How long does agoraphobia last? Many people with agoraphobia make a full recovery after seeking help. But for some people who don't get treatment, agoraphobia can last years. The panic attacks caused by the condition usually last between 10 and 30 minutes, although some people experience shorter or longer incidents.
Examples of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder (social phobia), specific phobias and separation anxiety disorder. You can have more than one anxiety disorder. Sometimes anxiety results from a medical condition that needs treatment.
Panic disorder is not the same as anxiety or a single panic attack. Symptoms of panic disorder include frequent and unexpected panic attacks. Agoraphobia is fear or anxiety of being in situations where you feel you cannot escape. Having early treatment is important for recovery from panic disorder or agoraphobia.
While both agoraphobia and social anxiety disorder are anxiety-related conditions, they have different causes and implications. Agoraphobia is related to a phobia of specific situations or places, while social anxiety disorder is related to a fear of social interactions.