ABOUT/DESCRIPTION
Agoraphobia is characterized by avoidance and limitations - the sufferer will typically avoid any and all situations and/or places from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing or where help is not readily available. They have such extreme anxiety about having a panic attack in an "unsafe" environment that they begin to avoid certain everyday activities, activities that they associate with their panic attack. Examples might include avoiding driving, shopping or banking (anyplace where they might be forced to wait in a line), or being in crowded places. Some people suffering from Agoraphobia can manage to function, with great apprehension, and some can manage just so long as they stay within their perceived 'comfort-zone' or in the company of a perceived 'safe-person.' Left untreated however, many sufferers will eventually avoid leaving their home altogether - for years in some instances.
Agoraphobics are hypersensitive to their thoughts and their own body sensations, subconsciously overreacting to normal everyday activities most people take for granted.
Agoraphobia occurs most often with Panic Disorder and commonly coexists with depression.
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QUICK FACTS
Approximately 3.2 million Americans age 18 to 54 have agoraphobia in any given year.
While the exact cause of Agoraphobia is unknown, researches have focused their attention on a combination of risk factors including personality characteristics, genetics/biology, and environmental factors.
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GENERAL HELP/TREATMENT TECHNIQUES
Exact treatment will of course vary from person to person based on the severity, and other distinctive factors, Agoraphobia is typically treated with medications, therapy, or a combination the two.
Many forms of therapy are used in the treatment of Agoraphobia including psychotherapy, relaxation therapy, and exposure therapy. Perhaps the most researched and clinically proven form of treatment therapy for Agoraphobia is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is simply an integration of the cognitive (thought) restructuring approach of traditional cognitive therapy and the behavior modification techniques of traditional behavioral therapy.
CBT is a structured, short-term therapy that that is very goal oriented and conducive to change. It is an action based from of therapy based on the premise that bad or faulty thinking patterns cause negative emotions and negative behaviors. CBT teaches people to understand and change their thinking patterns so they can change their behavior and emotional state. CBT teaches the individual to think and respond differently in situations that cause anxiety.
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