By Simon CrabbThe thought of being stuck within a crowd while you are experiencing a call of nature can be anxious for most of us. Despite that idea, the possible embarrassment does not stop most of us from frequenting concerts, the theater or other public and crowded places. However, this is not true for some people. The situation that I have mentioned is one of the symptoms of agoraphobia.
Fear, panic, anxiety and embarrassment, these are the 4 major feelings or symptoms that a person with Agoraphobia mostly experiences. Basically, they have a fear of experiencing an anxiety or panic on a situation that is embarrassing or difficult to escape from. Another concrete example would be the idea of choking in front of a crowd or in the presence of strangers. We know that choking is not exactly the best reason for you to be known for. Moreover, the aid for choking demands another person, which can be a scene stealer.
The symptoms of agoraphobia can extend to fear of being in an elevator, being left home alone or leaving home. In these circumstances, the panic may surface in the idea of no escape in an elevator. While being left alone, is difficult for the sufferer because nobody might lend a help in time of a panic or anxiety attack.
Agoraphobia’s intensity varies from one person to another. There are some sufferers who live a normal life as they simply avoid the potential situations that may provoke their panic attack. On the other hand, people with severe form of Agoraphobia are home bound. These are the sufferers who completely avoid any kind of triggers or events that pushes their panic button.
These are the two major characteristics connected to Agoraphobia:
1. People experience panic while thinking of being in a place, event or situation that is out of their comfort zone. Also, there is a fear of being trapped, where they perceive it would be embarrassing or difficult for them to escape from the situation.
2. People steer clear of situations that might bring them panic or anxiety. It is their intense fear of anxiety that leads to Agoraphobia.
According to studies, there are about twice as many women than men who sufferers from agoraphobia. Most of the people with this disorder have undergone a stressful or traumatic event before they had their first experience of their panic or anxiety episode. In terms of age, the most common sufferers had their first experience of agoraphobia during their mid or late 20’s.
Often times, people with agoraphobia go through a phase where they feel that they are losing their mind or they are in the verge of being crazy. They have such feeling due to the overwhelming physical, emotional, mental and psychological effect of fears and anxiety. Accordingly, they seek for the help and advice of a mental health professional.
Another common incident that leads to diagnosis of Agoraphobia, is through the testimonials of a family member or a friend. Sometimes, the people around the sufferer notice a great reluctance to leaving home without a companion. For example, a wife might notice her husband usually seeks reason for not leaving home. Hence, the family member is urged to advice the sufferer to consult for professional help.
On the actual diagnosis, the mental health professional carefully takes note of the personal history of the client or patient. In diagnosing agoraphobia, laboratory test is no longer required to confirm a case nor physical conditions that must be met. However, the therapist must be careful not to overlook illnesses that might be similar, to a point that it mimics the psychological disorder. When the psychologist encounter doubt during the diagnosis, he / she can ask for the help of a physician, who has the authority and knowledge to execute a complete physical examination and laboratory tests.
Agoraphobia is serious but it can be treated. These are the following treatments that are commonly used to help the sufferers of this disorder:
Behavior Therapy, this is the kind of treatment that aims to modify and control the unwanted behavior. The sufferers are taught to cope with difficult scenarios, by exposing them to the actual situation but with control. This therapy is somewhat effective because the patient develops a feeling of being control in his / her life.
Cognitive Therapy, this intervention appeals on the cognitive aspect of the patient. The objective is to alter the sufferer’s harmful and unproductive thinking patterns. The sessions enable the person to reflect and examine his / her feelings, and be able to fish out realistic from unrealistic perceptions.
Cognitive-Behavior therapy or CBT is a combination of cognitive and behavior techniques. One of the perks of this intervention is its capacity to allow the patient to acquire recovery skills that he / she can utilize for a lifetime.
Relaxation Technique is effective in helping patients to empower them with ability to cope with the stress that may contribute to their fears. Also, it relieves the physical effects of phobia. Most of the techniques taught in this treatment are breathing exercise and other physical work-outs.
Other forms of therapy include Hypnotherapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP and Energy Psychology. These are the new installments in the treatment arena of Agoraphobia. Bear in mind that this disorder is just an obstacle. You have the power to bring an end to it. There will come a time that you’d be able to enjoy life again and be freed from the symptoms of agoraphobia.