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Agoraphobia often results in having a hard time feeling safe in any public place, especially where crowds gather and in locations that are not familiar. You may feel that you need a companion, such as a family member or friend, to go with you to public places. The fear can be so overwhelming that you may feel you can't leave your home. Some lifestyle behaviors, like too much caffeine, lack of sleep, or alcohol use, can worsen symptoms of anxiety including agoraphobia.
What is agoraphobia?
Some patients with anxiety disorders may benefit from the combination or sequential use of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy treatment modalities. The combined approach is said to offer rapid relief, high effectiveness, and a low relapse rate. Treatment with high-potency benzodiazepines is usually continued for six months to a year. One drawback of these medications is that patients may experience withdrawal symptoms—malaise, weakness, and other unpleasant side effects—when the treatment is discontinued. Reducing the dose gradually generally minimizes such problems.
Symptoms and Causes
According to The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), agoraphobia is frequently diagnosed along with panic and other anxiety disorders. Once you have successfully managed your anxiety in your imagination, you can use your relaxation techniques in real-life situations. This technique can be learned through a variety of self-help resources and applications, but it can be more helpful to learn desensitization through the guidance of a professional therapist.
How to Calm Anxiety When You’re Afraid to Leave Home
Anxiety, like many other mental health conditions, can be harder to treat if you wait. Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder that involves an extreme and irrational fear of being unable to escape a difficult or embarrassing situation. People fear they will experience panic or other incapacitating symptoms when trapped in a public and inescapable setting. Using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a mental healthcare provider can help you recognize thoughts that cause you anxiety. In the study, as predicted, scores on the PAI were related to all facets of panic and agoraphobic symptoms, even after the research team controlled for other possible factors.
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Eventually, you’ll be able to take part in activities that produce anxiety, and you’ll know how to manage your emotions. Over time, therapy can train your brain to think and respond differently. Bolster that coping efficacy, and your panic should subside. The goal of systematic desensitization is to become gradually desensitized to the triggers that are causing your distress.
Initial onset is typically in late adolescence or early adulthood, although agoraphobia can occur in childhood as well. By Lisa FritscherLisa Fritscher is a freelance writer and editor with a deep interest in phobias and other mental health topics. Applied relaxation is a series of exercises that help you notice when you start to feel tense and learn how to relax your muscles and ease that tension.
Agoraphobia quiz
Cognitive therapy can teach you new ways to think about or face situations that cause panic and help you be less afraid. Sometimes your therapist may suggest exposure therapy, in which you gradually start to do some of the things that make you anxious. If you have it, your fears keep you from getting out into the world.
More on Anxiety & Panic Disorders
Since caffeine, certain illicit drugs, and even some over-the-counter cold medications can aggravate the symptoms of anxiety disorders, they should be avoided. Check with your physician or pharmacist before taking any additional medications. Many people with anxiety disorders benefit from joining a self-help or support group and sharing their problems and achievements with others.
Due to these avoidance behaviors, the life of a person with agoraphobia can become very restrictive and isolated—greatly affecting their personal and professional life. For example, heightened fears and avoidance behaviors can make it difficult for a person with agoraphobia to travel for work or to visit with family and friends. Even small tasks, such as going to the store, can become extremely difficult. This fear often leads to persistent avoidance behaviors, in which the person begins to stay away from the places and situations in which they fear panic may occur. For example, a person with agoraphobia may avoid driving a car, leaving the comfort of home, shopping in a mall, traveling by airplane, or simply being in a crowded area. Stress management techniques and meditation can help people with anxiety disorders calm themselves and may enhance the effects of therapy.
Other types of therapy such as biofeedback, hypnosis, meditation, relaxation, or couples therapy have been found to be helpful for some patients. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help patients modify or eliminate thought patterns contributing to the symptoms and help them change behavior. The prevalence of agoraphobia is 1.3 percent with an incidence rate of 0.9 percent, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The rate is slightly higher for females, 0.9 percent, compared with 0.8 percent for males.
The two main types of medications for treating agoraphobia are antidepressants and benzodiazepines for anxiety. The therapeutic approach may include some systematic desensitization, in which the person gradually confronts avoided situations with the support and guidance of their therapist. Some research has shown that integrating exposure therapy with psychodynamic treatment has been beneficial in panic disorder with agoraphobia. Many times, the person will fare better in facing their fears if accompanied by a trusted friend. Although many people with agoraphobia will also have panic disorder, it is possible to be diagnosed with agoraphobia without having a history of panic disorder.
Symptoms are subjective; only the affected person can sense them. You may be willing to go just a handful of places, or you may even dread leaving your house. You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox.
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