Sometimes called a person’s fear of fear, Agoraphobia is one serious social anxiety disorder. Agoraphobia actually comes from two Greek words, one being “fear” and the other “marketplace.” Most often that not, people that are diagnosed with this kind of disease would try his or her best to avoid circumstances deemed by the patient as having low or no chance of escape. Such places that agoraphobia patients often avoid are markets, malls, airports and other places that are usually large and unfamiliar. Also, home is seen by patients as the only “safe place,” hurting their social life with others.
Although agoraphobia’s main causes are still widely unknown, this disease is generally linked to stressful environments, substance abuse and generalized anxiety disorder. Agoraphobia treatment often includes a gradual treatment of drug dependence and also a period of abstinence, while the regular use of sleeping pills such as benzodiapines and tranquilizers can actually exacerbate the situation. Frequent panic attacks also characterize persons with agoraphobia, wherein restrictions from interacting with other people are made to stop panic attacks.
Common symptoms of agoraphobia: In addition to experiencing panic attacks, most often, agoraphobia patients experience these symptoms: Fear of being in the middle of a crowd, Fear of being left alone, especially in public, Overdependence on trusted persons, Fear from going into closed places like an elevator, Feelings of helplessness, Symptoms commonly associated with panic attacks such as sweating and flushing, breathing difficulties, fast heart rate, and the like
Symptoms of agoraphobia: Apart from the excessive worry about having a panic attack, people who have agoraphobia manifests the following: Fear of being alone in crowded places, Fear of losing control in a public place, Fear of being in places where it might be hard to leave such as an elevator or a train, Sense of helplessness, Overdependence on others, and the fear to leave the house for long periods, Symptoms of a panic attack including: rapid heart rate, flushing, chest pain, trouble breathing, dizziness, nausea and excessive sweating
Also, patients affected by agoraphobia would usually only stay put in their respective homes. This is due to the fact that they want to anticipate circumstances of panic attacks, wherein leaving their safe zone would pose risks of such. In this case, opportunities for socialization would eventually diminish. These patients would then be a prisoner in their own “safe zones.”
Those who suffer from agoraphobia feel like a prisoner in their own home. They will often anticipate panic attacks and as a result more often than not, they have one when they venture out of their “safe zone”. It is actually a vicious cycle and the number of places they can go to become fewer and fewer.
What can you do about agoraphobia? It is understandable that consulting a professional would be a very difficult experience for people suffering from agoraphobia. Following are helpful steps to be done:
It is very easy to understand, given the embarrassing situation of having agoraphobia, to consult this condition smoothly to professionals. In this case, these are things that you can do: Document important events in your lifetime that may have induced a lot of stress, Be keen about the presence of its symptoms, Do not forget to properly document diagnosis of mental and physical health conditions, When having an appointment, do not bother asking questions, Also, when in an appointment, it helps to request accompaniment from trusted family members, for valuable information and moral support.
Learn more about your condition and start your agoraphobia treatment. Visit http://anxietyattackspanicattacks.com for more information about panic disorder, anxiety and depression and also and grab a report, “How to Break Free from a Stressful Lifestyle” for FREE…
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