Agoraphobia

Provided by Psychology Today

• Agoraphobia Definition
• Agoraphobia Symptoms
• Causes of Agoraphobia
• Agoraphobia Treatment

Agoraphobia Definition

The term agoraphobia is translated from Greek as “fear of the marketplace.” Agoraphobia today describes severe and pervasive anxiety about being in situations from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing and/or from which help may not be available should a panic attack occur. This anxiety leads to the following behavior: 1) avoidance of these types of situations, i.e., being alone outside of the home, traveling in a car, bus, or airplane, being in a crowded area, or being on a bridge; 2) endurance of such situations under great stress, i.e., a panic attack may occur; or 3) requiring another person's company when in said situations. Agoraphobia typically accompanies a panic disorder although on rare occasions, it may also occur when criteria of a panic disorder are not fully met (Morrison, 1995). In panic disorder, panic attacks recur and the person develops an intense apprehension of having another attack. This fear—called anticipatory anxiety or fear of fear—can be present most of the time and seriously interfere with the person's life even when a panic attack is not in progress. In addition, the person may develop irrational fears called phobias, such as agoraphobia, about situations where a panic attack has occurred. If agoraphobia occurs with panic disorder, the onset is usually during the 20s, and women are affected more often than men.

Agoraphobia affects about a third of all people with panic disorder. Typically, people with agoraphobia restrict themselves to a "zone of safety" that may include only the home or the immediate neighborhood. Any movement beyond the edges of this zone creates mounting anxiety. As noted earlier, sometimes a person with agoraphobia is unable to leave home alone, but can travel if accompanied by a particular family member or friend. Even when they restrict themselves to "safe" situations, most people with agoraphobia continue to have panic attacks at least a few times a month.

People with agoraphobia can be seriously disabled by their condition. Some are unable to work, and they may need to rely heavily on other family members, who must do the shopping and run all the household errands, as well as accompany the affected person on rare excursions outside the "safety zone." People with this disorder may become house-bound for years, with resulting impairment of social and interpersonal relationships. Thus the person with agoraphobia typically leads a life of extreme dependency as well as great discomfort.

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