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What is agoraphobia?
Agoraphobia is the fear of
being in a situation where one might experience anxiety
or panic and where escape from
the situation might be difficult or embarrassing. People with agoraphobia
may feel anxious about such things as loss of bladder or bowel control
or choking on food in the presence of others. They also might feel anxious
about being home alone, leaving home, or being in a crowded place, such
as on public transportation or in an elevator, where it might be difficult
or embarrassing to find a way out. To avoid the anxiety associated with
these situations they refrain from putting themselves into such situations.
The severity of agoraphobia is quite variable. Some people with agoraphobia
live essentially normal lives as they avoid potentially anxiety-provoking
situations. However, in severe cases of agoraphobia, people are homebound.
These people work very hard to avoid any and all situations that might
cause them to become anxious.
What characteristics
are associated with agoraphobia?
Two major characteristics
are associated with agoraphobia:
People develop anxiety when
thinking about being in a situation out of their comfort zone. They
fear feeling trapped in a situation where they judge it would be difficult
or embarrassing for them to leave the situation.
People avoid those situations which bring them anxiety or panic. It
is the fear of the anxiety that leads to the agoraphobia.
Does agoraphobia affect males, females or both?
About twice as many women
than men report that they experience agoraphobia. Frequently, people
report that the onset of their agoraphobia followed a stressful or traumatic
event in their lives.
At what age does
agoraphobia begin?
The most common age for agoraphobia
to begin is when a person is in his/her mid to late 20’s.
How is agoraphobia
diagnosed?
People suffering from agoraphobia
sometimes fear that they are "losing" their mind or "going
crazy" because of their fears and anxiety. Consequently, they might
seek advice from a mental health professional.
Also, it is common for a
friend or family member to notice that another person is reluctant to
leave home without a companion. For instance, a spouse might notice
that his/her mate finds reasons not to leave home. In these cases, the
friend or family member often urges the agoraphobic to seek professional
help.
A mental health professional
arrives at the diagnosis of agoraphobia by taking a careful personal
history from the client/patient. There are no laboratory tests required
to confirm a diagnosis of agoraphobia nor are there any physical conditions
that must be met. However, it is very important for the therapist not
to overlook a physical illness that might mimic or contribute to a psychological
disorder. If there is any doubt about a medical problem, the mental
health professional should refer to a physician who will perform a complete
physical examination and request any necessary laboratory tests.
How is agoraphobia
treated?
There are three main types
of treatment for agoraphobia:
Therapy
Medications
Combination of therapy and medications
Behavior and cognitive therapy are the treatments of choice for agoraphobia.
If panic accompanies the agoraphobia, people are sometimes referred
for a brief course of a prescribed medication, such as an antianxiety
medication.
What happens to someone with
agoraphobia?
Severe cases of agoraphobia
can be very difficult to treat and can last many years.
What can people do if they
need help?
If you, a friend, or a family
member would like more information and you have a therapist or a physician,
please discuss your concerns with that person.
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News:
The global community is what keeps phobics awareness going.
We are a completely member supported and driven community.
Dedicated volunteers work constantly to improve the site and
spread the word. The original founder of phobics awareness,
Paul launched the site on 21st of June 2002 with the help
of his partner and a few other people, Paul as now taken a
back seat and phobics awareness is now run by a number of
volunteers from all over the world, phobics awareness is a
non-profit organization dedicated to the global community,
Member involvement is a vital part of the growth and development
of phobics awareness. Simply put, we couldn't do it without
you!
I am a psychiatrist with over 30 years’
experience of working with agoraphobia and have written “Freedom
From Agoraphobia.” This is a program for overcoming
agoraphobia both for people who have the condition and for
therapists. In order to make its contents available to more
people, I shall be sending in the educational portions of
this book as articles free to subscribers to Phobics-Awareness.org.
Mark Eisenstadt, M.D.
Read More
Here
There are Thirteen articles now.
Read more about Agoraphobia written by one of our members
Here
We would like to welcome Steve Woods to the
site, I am the Hypnotist, Chinosis Coach and joint Director
of Positive Thoughts based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
I also spend a lot of time in Birmingham so have a business
base there, My qualifications are R.Hyp, R.Chi.C, S.N.H.S.
Dip(Hypnotherapy). I am a Member of the Academy of Hypnotic
Arts (M.A.H.A.).
Steve is going to help out with any Q&A you may have,
The Q&A will be on the
Forum
Under Hypnosis.
You can find Steve's site Here
New Book:
We though agoraphobics may be interested in this book.
Jack Madigan is, by many accounts, blessed. Thanks to his
legendary rock star father, he lives an enviable existence
in a once-glorious, but now crumbling, Boston town house with
his teenage son, Harlan. There's just one problem: Jack is
agoraphobic. While living on his dad's dwindling royalties
hasn't been easy, Jack and Harlan have bumbled along just
fine. Until the money runs out...and so does Jack's luck Read
More
click the banner below to visit
www.hypnoshop.com
Self Hypnosis is a powerful tool for making positive changes
within your life. Hypnosis has been used for centuries and
has been put to many great uses, helping millions of people
to stop smoking, lose weight, conquer fears and phobias, and
much more.
Relaxation Tapes & CD's
We are hoping to offer tapes and CD's very soon, The only
cost will be for postage and packing, We believe in trying
to keep the price as low as possible, You can find some CD's
on the forum
Storm Phobias
I know this time of year in the UK can be a worrying time
for people who suffer from storm phobias,
Especially thunder and lightning, I will be working on this
part of the site over the next few weeks, In the mean time
I've added a lightning detector so you can see where the storms
are, It refreshes every 60 seconds, You can find It Here
Also check out the Net Weather web site Here.
More about Storm Phobia Here
Books
The Driving Fear Program
The Driving Fear program is a self-help resource for those
with a fear of driving, or a driving related phobia such as
fear of highways or bridges. It includes articles on specific
coping techniques and a comprehensive e-book program in use
by clinicians and individuals worldwide.
Web Site Last Updated: 16.2.2009
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