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Sometimes patients spend only a few sessions in one-on-one contact with a therapist and continue to work on their own with the aid of a manual. These situations almost always trigger an anxiety response that is out of proportion to the actual danger presented by the situation. However, some patients, especially those who have had problems with alcohol or drug dependency, may become dependent on benzodiazepines. You'll probably take medicine for at least 6 months to a year. If you feel better and no longer are stressed when you're in places that used to scare you, your doctor may begin tapering off your medicine.
What are the risk factors for agoraphobia?
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Talking with a trusted friend or confidante can also provide support, but it is not a substitute for care from a mental health professional. Agoraphobia (ag-uh-ruh-FOE-be-uh) is a type of anxiety disorder. Agoraphobia involves fearing and avoiding places or situations that might cause panic and feelings of being trapped, helpless or embarrassed. For example, you may fear using public transportation, being in open or enclosed spaces, standing in line, or being in a crowd. They feel high discomfort and stress and may require another person's company in such situations. Your healthcare provider also may suggest medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
Diagnosis of Agoraphobia
A lot of the symptoms caused by agoraphobia are the same as those of other medical conditions like heart disease, stomach issues, and breathing problems. So you may make several trips to the doctor or emergency room before you and your doctor figure out what's really going on. Agoraphobia can begin in childhood, but usually starts in the late teen or early adult years — usually before age 35. Females are diagnosed with agoraphobia more often than males are.
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Fear of another panic attack can lead to avoiding similar situations or the place where it happened in an attempt to prevent future panic attacks. These situations cause anxiety because you fear you won't be able to escape or find help if you start to feel panicked. Or you may fear having other disabling or embarrassing symptoms, such as dizziness, fainting, falling or diarrhea. Agoraphobia treatment can be challenging because it means confronting your fears.
Signs
This condition typically develops in adulthood, though it can emerge earlier in adolescence. The psychological disorder of agoraphobia involves precisely some of these inner feelings. People with agoraphobia often panic at the thought of being out of the home, particularly in places where they have no ability to escape. Even if you never had any of these symptoms, you can now see them developing as a result of the pandemic’s effect on your life. Agoraphobia typically presents as overwhelming anxiety that is irrational and inappropriate for the circumstances—usually when the person attempts to leave home or even thinks of doing so. This article discusses the specific symptoms and signs of agoraphobia that clinicians use to diagnose the disorder.
Symptoms and Causes
If you’re afraid to visit a medical office in person, you may be able to schedule a telephone or video appointment. These cognitive processes fall into three “panic appraisal” or evaluation dimensions related to feelings of panic. In other words, your thoughts about a situation determine your emotions.
With COVID-19 restrictions easing, not everyone feels ready to venture outside.
Often these fears turn into anxiety attacks (panic attacks). Physical symptoms of a panic attack include shortness of breath, increased heart rate, and dizziness. When panic occurs, it reinforces your original belief that you should not have left your home.
Some popular relaxation strategies include deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, mindfulness meditation, and visualization. Depending on the person’s symptoms, it can take up to 6 weeks to have an effect. Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today.
Coping
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A trained clinical interviewer diagnosed the participants with an established standard interview designed to assess these disorders. Participants had the option of volunteering for the project, with no penalty should they decline. To receive a diagnosis of agoraphobia, a healthcare provider will assess your symptoms and check for any underlying medical conditions that might be causing those symptoms.
Mental health experts believe that the repercussions of these events may have a lasting effect on the well-being of adults and children for years to come. Fear and avoidance can become so severe with agoraphobia that the person with the phobia becomes confined to their home. Treatment may be complicated when patients have difficulty getting to appointments because of their fears. To address this issue, some therapists will go to an agoraphobic patient's home to conduct the initial sessions. Often therapists take their patients on excursions to shopping malls and other places the patients have been avoiding; this provides support and helps the patients cope with their fears. Now imagine, when it is truly safe, that you have the ability to get out of the house and go shopping, eat at restaurants, and perhaps even travel to a vacation destination.
By learning and practicing relaxation techniques, you could reduce the level of your anxiety and the frequency of your panic attacks. In the most extreme cases, agoraphobia can develop into a fear of leaving one’s house altogether. The person's home becomes their “safe zone,” and they may avoid leaving their home for days, months, or even years. If a person with agoraphobia eventually pushes through and makes it out of the home, they might have a panic attack.
They’ll do a physical exam and maybe some tests to rule out any other medical problems. If they don’t find a physical reason for your symptoms, they’ll probably recommend that you see a psychiatrist or therapist. These skills are generally easy to learn and can be practiced for short durations of time to effectively reduce anxiety.
It typically takes an hour-long session each week for 12 to 15 weeks. For short-term relief, your doctor may recommend anti-anxiety medications, called benzodiazepines, in addition to antidepressants. You can start to depend on them, so you shouldn’t take them for long. And be sure to tell your doctor if you’ve had any issues with alcohol or drug abuse. Your doctor will usually treat agoraphobia with therapy, medication, or a combination of the two.
Call your health care provider or a mental health professional if you have symptoms of agoraphobia or panic attacks. The anxiety is caused by fear that there's no easy way to escape or get help if the anxiety gets overwhelming. You may avoid situations because of fears such as getting lost, falling, or having diarrhea and not being able to get to a bathroom. Most people who have agoraphobia develop it after having one or more panic attacks, causing them to worry about having another attack.
In its most severe form, people with agoraphobia are completely unable to leave their homes. Take good care of yourself, take your medications as prescribed and practice techniques you learn from your therapist. And don’t allow yourself to avoid situations and places that spark anxiety. The combination can help you do things you enjoy with less fear.
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