What Is Agoraphobia?

What is Agoraphobia? By strict etymological definition, the fear of open spaces. However, it tends to be most commonly used as a clinical medical term for those who have a fear of being outside. These fear can become so crippling that the sufferer will avoid leaving their home altogether, which in turn has a huge impact on their quality of life and working prospects.

Agoraphobia is a severe anxiety disorder, a clinical grouping of mental health issues for which there is no definitive known cause. It is often partnered with another anxiety disorder, such as Social Anxiety Disorder or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, though it can be a standalone issue. It has also been linked to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is important to know if the agoraphobia has an underlying cause or if it is a single issue, as if one is treated for the actual condition (OCD or SAD), then the agoraphobia itself usually fades.

In cases where agoraphobia is the only anxiety disorder present, sufferers will feel an overwhelming fear of being outside. This can sometimes just be in unfamiliar or crowded places, but some affected by agoraphobia will not wish to be out of their home at all. If an agoraphobia is required to leave their home, they will become increasingly panicked – often suffering anxiety attacks and physical fear symptoms, such as shaking or feeling sick.

The main treatment for agoraphobia is exposure therapy, whereby a person gradually increases the amount of time they spend outside. This is usually done with psychiatric assistance and observation. While agoraphobia can never be cured, it can be managed, and with effective treatment sufferers can go on to live normal, happy lives.

What Is An Anxiety Attack?

At some point in their lives, more than 60% of the population will experience an anxiety attack. Sometimes called panic attacks, such occurrences can be extremely alarming to those who are not aware of what the problem is. Most frequently anxiety attacks, to the initiated, will appear almost heart attack like in their symptoms – needless to say, this is extremely distressing. Yet even if you do know what is happening to you, in the moment of the attack, you can forget and panic nevertheless. Basically, anxiety attacks are deeply unpleasant.

There is no known cause of anxiety attacks, though as the name suggests, they do relate to anxiety. If a person is distraught, upset or anxious, they are more likely to suffer such an attack. However, some sufferers – and it should be stressed only in a small amount of cases – can suffer from an attack even when they feel calm and relaxed.

With no absolute known physical cause of anxiety attacks, there is no known way of preventing with them. Primarily, sufferers are taught how to manage attacks rather than try and prevent them altogether. If the sufferer panics during an attack, it will worsen in severity, so behavior therapy can help people remain calm.

Different people experience different symptoms, but an anxiety attack can be characterized as a short, intense period of fear and anxiety. This often combines with sweating, shaking, shortness of breath and other fear-related symptoms. Left alone, and provided the sufferer attempts as best to remain calm, they should last no more than 10 minutes.