Agoraphobia: What It Is and What You Can Do About It
Agoraphobia, translated roughly from Greek, literally means ‘fear of the marketplace.’ In the buy louis vuitton 09 past, it was believed to be the debilitating fear of open spaces and buy louis vuitton 09 public places. As more studies and buy louis vuitton 09 research have shown, it is now thought as a result of continued episodes of panic attacks.
Agoraphobia often results when buy louis vuitton 09 a person becomes extremely fearful of being trapped in a place or buy louis vuitton 09 situation from which he cannot escape. He might also believe that buy louis vuitton 09 escaping from that situation may prove to be difficult or buy louis vuitton 09 that he may not be able to find help.
As a buy louis vuitton 09 result, a person with agoraphobia begins to shun public places where buy louis vuitton 09 there are too many people. He might also find it buy louis vuitton 09 too constricting to ride buses, airplanes, cars and trains. In its severe form, agoraphobia may also keep a buy louis vuitton 09 person from stepping out of his home, the only place where buy louis vuitton 09 he feels safest.
Agoraphobia and panic disorder
Agoraphobia is buy louis vuitton 09 the result of a panic disorder that has remained untreated, ignored or buy louis vuitton 09 misdiagnosed. A panic disorder is buy louis vuitton 09 the result of continued episodes of panic attacks, where a buy louis vuitton 09 person suffers from intense discomfort and feelings of extreme fear.
Panic attacks can buy louis vuitton 09 also occur without a warning and affects about one-third of the buy louis vuitton 09 adult population annually. It may either occur in isolation or buy louis vuitton 09 as a result of another disorder such as depression, anxiety or buy louis vuitton 09 social phobia. Unlike anxiety, panic attacks can buy louis vuitton 09 only last for a short while, usually 20-30 minutes.
Agoraphobia does not occur by itself. It usually makes its first appearance within 12 months of the buy louis vuitton 09 recurrence of several episodes of panic attacks. In fact, one out of three people who buy louis vuitton 09 suffer from panic disorder have a high possibility of developing agoraphobia. Agoraphobia, like panic disorder, is usually a chronic condition.
Symptoms of agoraphobia
Agoraphobia sufferers experience several symptoms all at once, including heart palpitations or buy louis vuitton 09 increased heart rate, shortness of breath, numbness, dizziness, chest pain, trembling, sweating, extreme hot or buy louis vuitton 09 cold, feelings of losing control, going crazy or dying.
While some episodes of agoraphobia can buy louis vuitton 09 occur without warning, being in certain situations can trigger an buy louis vuitton 09 attack. People who buy louis vuitton 09 suffer from agoraphobia are actually afraid they might have a buy louis vuitton 09 panic attack. If they are buy louis vuitton 09 stuck in a situation where escape or help may prove difficult or buy louis vuitton 09 awkward such as parties, crowded shopping malls or subways, they become more agitated and buy louis vuitton 09 their feeling of panic swells.
To avoid the feeling of being ‘trapped’, people with agoraphobia stay away from public places. This is buy louis vuitton 09 not because they are afraid of public places per se, but because they do not want to buy louis vuitton 09 suffer from a panic attack while in those locations. To feel safe, they instead keep to buy louis vuitton 09 familiar places, such as their homes or insist in having the buy louis vuitton 09 constant company of a trusted person.
Treatments for Agoraphobia
The most common treatments for agoraphobia are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or medication. A combination of both may also be used in certain cases. CBT is buy louis vuitton 09 a type of psychotherapy that is also used to treat other mental disorders. As a treatment, CBT involves altering a patient’s thinking patterns so he can manage and handle his fears.
Patients are buy louis vuitton 09 taught to understand what agoraphobia is and to accept that the buy louis vuitton 09 feelings of panic are normal, albeit amplified. Certain patterns of automatic thinking and buy louis vuitton 09 behavior during an episode of agoraphobia may also be altered to buy louis vuitton 09 help the patient cope should one occur.
To help patients handle their reactions, they are buy louis vuitton 09 also taught to control their breathing as part of coping skills. CBT also involves exposing a buy louis vuitton 09 patient to situations or incidents that usually trigger agoraphobia. CBT as a treatment is quite successful, helping about 85% of panic attack patients recover after only about 10 sessions.
Medication usually involves either anti-depressants or anti-anxiety drugs. Anti-depressants serve to buy louis vuitton 09 reduce or totally prevent episodes of panic attacks, although they usually begin to buy louis vuitton 09 take effect only after several weeks. Anti-anxiety drugs, on the buy louis vuitton 09 other hand, are fast acting and can produce a calming effect in less than buy louis vuitton 09 an hour.
Therapies used for Agoraphobia
Other forms of treatments and buy louis vuitton 09 therapies to address and eliminate agoraphobia include family therapy, group therapy using CBT and buy louis vuitton 09 relaxation techniques using meditation. Depending on the severity of the patient’s mental condition, a buy louis vuitton 09 combination of several treatments may be used to produce the desired effect.
