Agoraphobia - What is it?
Quick Facts
Although agoraphobia is relatively common, a lot about this disorder is misunderstood. Most of the cases that are being diagnosed now are part of a larger evolving story on how society and providers see patients and separate the disorder from other panic disorders. Link to image source below!
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder that involves an extreme and irrational fear of being unable to escape a difficult or embarrassing situation. The disorder is marked by anxiety that causes people to avoid situations where they might feel panicked, trapped, helpless, or embarrassed. It can occur on its own or alongside another mental health condition, such as panic disorder.
This fear often leads to persistent avoidance behaviors, in which the person begins to stay away from many places and situations in which they fear panic may occur. For example, some commonly avoided circumstances include driving a car, leaving the comfort of home, shopping in a mall, traveling by airplane, or simply being in a crowded area.
Due to these avoidance behaviors, the life of a person with agoraphobia can become very restrictive and isolating. Agoraphobia can greatly affect a person’s personal and professional life. 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.
Fear and avoidance can become so severe that the person with the phobia becomes secluded to their own home.
Helpful Links:
https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/agoraphobia
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022395606001981
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890856709628021
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3018839/
Sources for Stats:
Agoraphobia without panic: clinical reappraisal of an epidemiologic finding.
Horwath E, Lish JD, Johnson J, Hornig CD, Weissman MM
Am J Psychiatry. 1993 Oct; 150(10):1496-501.
Agoraphobia and panic. Prospective-longitudinal relations suggest a rethinking of diagnostic concepts.
Wittchen HU, Nocon A, Beesdo K, Pine DS, Hofler M, Lieb R, Gloster AT
Psychother Psychosom. 2008; 77(3):147-57.
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Baking-ish is a podcast produced and edited by Fahrenheit Co., a U.S. based entity run and organized by Ren Newman.
**I am not a mental health professional. Please talk to a healthcare professional before doing or changing anything within your daily life. These experiences and opinions reflect only my personal experiences.
