Agoraphobia Center - Alexandria, VA
Alexandria Psychiatrist Doctors for AgoraphobiaType of Physician: Psychiatrist What is a Psychiatrist? A certification by the Board of Psychiatry & Neurology; practitioners are skilled in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental, addictive and emotional disorders. He or she is trained to understand the biological, psychological and social components of illness and is qualified to order diagnostic laboratory tests and to prescribe medications, as well as to evaluate and treat psychological and interpersonal problems. The psychiatrist is also prepared to intervene with individuals and families who are coping with stress, crises, and other problems in living. Specialty: Psychiatry Common Name: Psychiatrist Doctors in Alexandria * S Kalman Kolansky MD PC  Michael Hertzberg MD  Barbara R Hoar MD  Round House Psychiatric Center Ltd  Round House Psychiatric Center Ltd  Chapman & Michener Office of Psychiatry  Chapman & Michener Office of Psychiatry  Ryan S. Shugarman, M.D., PLLC  Martha S Granger MD  Mimi Khine MD  Northern Virginia Psychiatry Specialists  Mimi Ahine  Paul J Peckar MD  F J Pepper MD PC  James Dee MD  Arnold J Kaplin MD Ltd  Kenneth X Robbins MD  Philip Greco MD  Julie C Ponquinette MD  Pamela A Quarles MD  Edward Zinn MD  Anne Marie Dietrich MD  Renascence Center  Renascence Center  Skyline Psychiatric Associates  Skyline Psychiatric Associates  Annelle Primm MD  Prasad CM MD PC  Robert Radin MD  Audrey A Moss MD  David S Frenkel MD  Arthur Mode MD  Richard Sutton MD  Lillibeth Boruchow MD  Mt Vernon Mental Health  Randolph A Frank Jr. MD  Mt Vernon Mental Health  Annamma J Jacob MD  John R Maloney MD  Mt Vernon Mental Health  Mt Vernon Mental Health  Liza H Gold MD  Columbia Associates In Psychiatry  Columbia Associates In Psychiatry  Columbia Associates In Psychiatry  Columbia Associates In Psychiatry  Sang Tran MD  Peggy J Lomax MD  William A Mitchell MD  Marjorie A Harelick MD  John W McFarland MD  NoVa Institute of Psychiatry  David J Wood MD  Curt Thompson MD & Associates  Joan A Turkus MD  Nari Vaswani MD  James Vell Rives MD  Andrew A Schiavone MD  Hassan A Salih MD  Hassan A Salih MD  Tony A Tsitos MD  Kenneth L Kaplan MD  Edward Curcio MD  Barry C Gorman MD  Robert W Johnson MD  Woodburn Center For Mental Health  David E Hiatt MD  Dominion Hospital  Ross S Silverstein MD  James A Steg MD  John P Steg MD  Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute  Fuad Issa MD FAPA  Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute  Frank B Simpson MD  Gary J Soverow MD  Robert E Ketcham MD  John D Payne MD & Marlene Payne MD  John D Payne MD & Marlene Payne MD  Michael S Roath MD  Susan Rosenfeld MD  Charles Sacks MD  Thomas N Wise MD  Kim Bullock MD  Christen M Kerr MD  Michael J Durr MD  Gordon M Gondos MD  Allan S Melmed MD  Lizann Schloff MD  George Semchyshyn MD  Apud, Hirschman & Nunez-Brito MDs  Apud, Hirschman & Nunez-Brito MDs  Ralph Kornbluth MD  Apud, Hirschman & Nunez-Brito MDs  Northern Virgina Psychiatric Group  Northern Virgina Psychiatric Group  Northern Virgina Psychiatric Group  Northern Virgina Psychiatric Group  Northern Virgina Psychiatric Group  Julian T Brantley MD Alexandria, VirginiaUpcoming Local Events2012-06-09
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AgoraphobiaRead the Agoraphobia article » What is agoraphobia?A phobia is generally defined as the unrelenting fear of a situation, activity, or thing that causes one to want to avoid it. The definition of agoraphobia is a fear of being outside or otherwise being in a situation from which one either cannot escape or from which escaping would be difficult or humiliating. Phobias are largely underreported, probably because many phobia sufferers find ways to avoid the situations to which they are phobic. The fact that agoraphobia often occurs in combination with panic disorder makes tracking how often it occurs all the more difficult. Other facts about agoraphobia include that researchers estimate it occurs in less than 1 percent to almost 7 percent of the population and that it is specifically thought to be grossly underdiagnosed. What causes agoraphobia?There are a number of theories about what can cause agoraphobia. One hypothesis is that agoraphobia develops in response to repeated exposure to anxiety-provoking events. Mental-health theory that focuses on how individuals react to internal emotional conflicts (psychoanalytic theory) describes agoraphobia as the result of a feeling of emptiness that comes from an unresolved Oedipal conflict, which is a struggle between the feelings the person has toward the opposite-sex parent and a sense of competition with the same-sex parent. Although agoraphobia, like other mental disorders, is caused by a number of factors, it also tends to run in families and for some people, may have a clear genetic factor contributing to its development. What are the symptoms of agoraphobia?The symptoms of agoraphobia include anxiety that one will have a panic attack when in a situation from which escape is not possible or is difficult or embarrassing. The panic attack associated with agoraphobia, like all panic attacks, may involve intense fear, dis... Recommended Reading Related to AgoraphobiaWhat are panic attacks?Panic attacks may be symptoms of an anxiety disorder. These attacks are a serious health problem in the U.S. At least 20% of adult Americans, or about 60 million people, will suffer from panic attacks at some point in their lives. About 1.7% of adult Americans, or about 3 million people, will have full-blown panic disorder at some time in their lives, twice as often for women than men. The peak age at which people have their first panic attack (onset) is 15-19 years. Another fact about panic is that this symptom is strikingly different from other types of anxiety; panic attacks are so very sudden and often unexpected, appear to be unprovoked, and are often disabling. Childhood panic disorder facts include that about 0.7% of children suffer from panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder and that although panic is found to occur twice as often in women compared to men, boys and girls tend to experience this disorder a... Other Related Agoraphobia ArticlesEmergency Contact for Alexandria
Nearby Alexandria Hospitals *The Specialty Hospital of Washington-Hadley Inova Alexandria Hospital Saint Elizabeth's Hospital Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Fort Washington Hospital The Specialty Hospital of Washington The George Washington University Hospital Virginia Hospital Center Dominion Hospital Georgetown University Hospital Howard University Hospital United Medical Center Children's National Medical Center National Rehabilitation Hospital Washington DC VA Medical Center Washington Hospital Center Sibley Memorial Hospital Southern Maryland Hospital Center Psychiatric Institute of Washington The HSC Pediatric Center Providence Hospital Inova Fairfax Hospital Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute Gladys Spellman Specialty Hospital Prince George's Hospital Center Walter Reed Army Medical Center Washington Adventist Hospital National Institutes of Health Holy Cross Hospital Suburban Hospital Doctors Community Hospital Potomac Hospital Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Civista Medical Center Reston Hospital Center Laurel Regional Hospital Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health Adventist HealthCare Prince William Hospital Montgomery General Hospital Calvert Memorial Hospital Howard County General Hospital Inova Loudoun Hospital Center Anne Arundel Medical Center Baltimore Washington Medical Center Sheppard Pratt at Ellicott City Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
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Related Diseases & Conditions
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Anxiety
- Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension and fear characterized by physical symptoms. Anxiety disorders are serious medical illnesses that affect approximately 19 million American adults.
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Panic Attacks
- Panic attacks are sudden feelings of terror that strike without warning. These episodes can occur at any time, even during sleep. A person experiencing a panic attack may believe that he or she is having a heart attack or that death is imminent. The fear and terror that a person experiences during a panic attack are not in proportion to the true situation and may be unrelated to what is happening around them. Most people with panic attacks experience several of the following symptoms: racing heartbeat, faintness, dizzyness, numbness or tingling in the hands and fingers, chills, chest pains, difficulty breathing, and a feeling of loss or control. There are several treatments for panic attacks.
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Alcoholism
- Alcoholism is a disease that includes alcohol craving and continued drinking despite repeated alcohol-related problems, such as losing a job or getting into trouble with the law.
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Stress
- Stress occurs when forces from the outside world impinge on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life. However, over-stress, can be harmful. There is now speculation, as well as some evidence, that points to the abnormal stress responses as being involved in causing various diseases or conditions.
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Depression
- Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. The principal types of depression are major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disease (also called manic-depressive disease).
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Suicide
- Suicide is the process of intentionally ending one's own life. Approximately 1 million people worldwide commit suicide each year, and 10 million to 20 million attempt suicide annually.
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Phobias
- Phobias are unrelenting fears of activities (social phobias), situations (agoraphobia), and specific items (arachnophobia). There is thought to be a hereditary component to phobias, though there may be a cultural influence or they may be triggered by life events. Symptoms and signs of phobias include having a panic attack, shaking, breathing troubles, rapid heart beat, and a strong desire to escape the situation. Treatment of phobias typically involves desensitization, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and beta blockers.
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Mental Health
- Mental health is an optimal way of thinking, relating to others, and feeling. All of the diagnosable mental disorders fall under the umbrella of mental illness. Depression, anxiety, and substance-abuse disorders are common types of mental illness. Symptoms and signs of mental illness include irritability, moodiness, insomnia, headaches, and sadness. Treatment may involve psychotherapy and medication.
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