What is Agoraphobia?
Greek Agora refers to a place where people meet and phobia is the fear of something, then Agoraphobia Definition is the fear of being in places where there are many people, in open spaces.
Agoraphobia has to do with situations like a long corridor, a big place, exposed or unknown area, the feeling of being unprotected and exposed.
What are the Symptoms?
Symptoms of agoraphobia range from feelings of discomfort or anxiety in people sites to intense anxiety or panic attacks. To find out if a person has agoraphobia requires a diagnosis by a trained physician.
Knowing patients triggers your agoraphobia can strive to overcome their fears. The patient must take control of their fear gradually with exposure to environments which may cause fear but they can master to overcome it.
The medical professional should design a program so that the patient can deal with their fears and face them gradually, starting first with feel comfortable in a store and get over to feel comfortable in a market and then in a supermarket, and so on to overcome her agoraphobia.
What are the causes of Agoraphobia?
There is no cause more common and even mental health professionals agree on this matter. Numerous theories may be possible simultaneously.
What if it is clear to all specialists is that it is an anxiety disorder fear of becoming vulnerable in public places. People suffering from this disease can live as inmates who can not leave their homes for fear and panic.
Relief of symptoms can be found with drugs such as selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), together with a combination of therapy and medication.
Other investigations concern that may be some minor chromosomal irregularities. Women seem more vulnerable to the disease than men.
Other potential causes of agoraphobia are related to psychosocial aspects or parenting, for example imitation of the behavior of a child to have a father with agoraphobia.
A theory accepted as a cause of agoraphobia is that it starts very early in childhood to experience something very traumatic as that was abandoned or lost in public, separated from parents; this has a strong influence in adulthood.
Additional causes is socially shy children are more likely to have agoraphobia as adults. At the end it can be difficult to know the cause, but the important thing is that the disease responds to treatment.
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Treatment
People with agoraphobia often require the presence of a companion, such as a family member, partner, or friend, to confront the situation. There are levels of agoraphobia, some remain confined in their homes for fear of being out of their home, others just go out to some parts they have to go to, like work, this becomes a martyrdom producing heart rate, restless breathing, pains in the body and other symptoms. The good thing is that this anxiety disorder can be treated, so you should consider putting yourself in the hands of a specialized therapist as soon as possible.
Risk Factors
The Risk Factors for agoraphobia can be the following:
- Having panic disorder or other phobias
- Respond to panic attacks with excessive fear or avoidance
- Go through stressful events in life, such as abuse, the death of a father or an attack
- Having an anxious or nervous temperament
- Having a blood relative with agoraphobia
Other anxiety disorders are:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder, GAD
- Panic Disorder or Panic Attack
- Agoraphobia or fear of being in a place
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD
- Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome
- Social Phobic Disorder
- Specific Phobic Disorder.