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Agoraphobia is the fear of being in the open, leaving the room, the crowd and public places. What does fear of supermarkets have to do with fear of open spaces? Check out what else you don’t know about agoraphobia.
Agoraphobia – what is it?
A person suffering from agoraphobia has an uncontrolled fear of being in an unfamiliar environment or anywhere where there is no sense of control over the situation. It could be an open space, a crowded room, a bus trip, standing in line at a supermarket, being on a bridge. This is often accompanied by a fear of public humiliation, mainly due to a possible panic attack. Therefore, people with agoraphobia try to avoid public places, which in the long run may lead to the so-called social phobia. Agorophobia can also be the result of another disorder, such as post-traumatic stress or any other disorder, which causes an irrational fear of leaving home to other people.
Agoraphobia – causes
The cause of agoraphobia is as yet unknown. It often happens that immediately before the onset of disturbances in the patient’s life, some painful experience takes place, e.g. a breakup with the current partner or the death of a loved one. Statistics show that agoraphobia is more common in women than in men. This may be due to a more defensive cultural pattern of women’s behavior or the simple fact that women more often than men decide to seek medical attention. Men pay a different price for agoraphobia – they are more likely to have problems with alcohol addiction.
Agoraphobia and home therapy
Since people with agoraphobia do not leave the home often, medical attention is limited. Nevertheless, you should try to convince the patient to see a psychiatrist for the first time. It does not require any referral. It is enough to go to the nearest Mental Health Clinic. If a visit to a psychiatrist’s office is not possible due to the patient’s fear of leaving home, it is necessary to consult a specialist who will tell you what pharmacological treatment should be implemented.
Agoraphobia – Not all anxiety is a phobia
For a feeling of anxiety to be considered a symptom of agoraphobia, the following conditions must be met:
- anxiety occurs in situations where escape may be difficult (e.g. due to the surrounding crowd) or where it will not be possible to get help in the event of a possible panic attack;
- the patient avoids the above-described situations (e.g. never travels alone by public transport); if he is unable to avoid them, he is afraid of a sudden panic attack;
- anxiety or anxiety are not the result of other diseases, e.g. social phobia (in the case of which the patient avoids certain situations related to contact with other people).