Agoraphobia Center - Billerica, MA
Billerica 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 Billerica * Ethan S Rofman MD  Ross K Peterson MD  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Psychiatry  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Psychiatry  Seven Hills Behavioral Health  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center Psychiatry  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center Psychiatry  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center Psychiatry  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center Psychiatry  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center Psychiatry  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center Psychiatry  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center Psychiatry  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center Psychiatry  Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center Psychiatry  New England Neurological Associates PC  Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates  Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates  Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates  Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates  Miguel A Verdaguer MD  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Behavioral Health  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Behavioral Health  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Behavioral Health  Sharon R Weinstein MD  Catherine Conley-Lanteri MD  Ellen A Hilsinger MD  Jerry H Wacks MD  Chand Bhan MD  Richard M Brostoff MD  Randall H Paulsen MD  Saiya Remmler MD  Neelam Sihag MD  Robert P Torchin MD  Amy E Banks MD  Ronnie Fuchs MD  Samuel Robinson MD  Norman L Paul MD  Arbour Counseling Services  Eric C Dessain MD  Woburn Counseling Center  Barbara P Wissner MD  Thrassos S Calligas & Alison M Sheridan MD  Saroj Joshi MD  Concord Hillside Mental Health  Thrassos S Calligas & Alison M Sheridan MD  Concord Psychiatric Associates  Marcus Mental Health Associates  Emerson Hospital Behavioral Health  Emerson Hospital Behavioral Health  Emerson Hospital Behavioral Health  Emerson Hospital Behavioral Health  Drs Lenhart & Price  Drs Lenhart & Price  Sten B Lofgren MD  Raymond R Cavanaugh MD  Arbour Counseling Services  Arbour Counseling Services  Therese I Hattemer MD  Arbour Counseling Services  Harold R Zeckel MD  McLean Hospital Psychiatry  McLean Hospital Psychiatry  McLean Hospital Psychiatry  Craig E Boyajian MD  The Pavilion at McLean  Beth Brownlow MD  Franca Centorrino MD  Theodore Dreier MD  McLean Hospital Psychiatry  McLean Hospital Psychiatry  McLean Hospital Psychiatry  Eliza W Menninger MD  McLean Hospital Psychiatry  Madhavi Prakash MD  McLean Hospital Psychiatry  McLean Hospital Psychiatry  McLean Hospital Psychiatry  The Pavilion at McLean  Richard J Heller MD  Alan G Corman MD  John Sos MD  Jewish Family & Children's Service  Robert K Tittmann MD  Mark E Robbins MD  L H Strasburger MD  Comprehensive Psychiatric Resources  Children's Hospital Boston Center for Deaf & Hard of Hearing  Robert L Kelley MD  Tatinan N Yanovsky MD  The Hallowell Center  The Hallowell Center  Carl Brotman MD  Richard Netsky MD  James M Ellison MD  Francis McCarthy MD  Wakefield Behavior Health Center  Belmont Counseling Associates  Thomas A Laage MD  Elizabeth L Pugh MD  Lawrence Memorial Hospital Billerica, MassachusettsUpcoming Local Events2012-05-19
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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 Billerica
Nearby Billerica Hospitals *Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital Tewksbury Hospital Lahey Clinic Medical Center Saints Medical Center HC Solomon Mental Health Center Lowell General Hospital Emerson Hospital HEALTHSOUTH New England Rehabilitation Hospital Isham Health Center Winchester Hospital McLean Hospital Lawrence General Hospital Lawrence Memorial Hospital Melrose Wakefield Hospital Caritas Holy Family Hospital and Medical Center Somerville Hospital Mount Auburn Hospital Northeast Rehabilitation Health Network North Shore Medical Center Youville Hospital and Rehabilitation Center Cambridge Hospital Whidden Memorial Hospital Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center Franciscan Hospital for Children Newton Wellesley Hospital Kindred Hospital Boston Nashoba Valley Medical Center Arbour HRI Hospital Lawrence F Quigley Memorial Hospital M I T Medical Baldpate Hospital Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Kindred Hospital Boston North Shore Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary Shriners Hospitals for Children Boston Burn Hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Southern New Hampshire Medical Center Children's Hospital Boston Dana Farber Cancer Institute Brigham & Women's Hospital St Joseph Hospital Tufts New England Medical Center New England Baptist Hospital VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus Merrimack Valley Hospital Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Haverhill Boston Medical Center Salem Hospital & the Birthplace Arbour Hospital North Shore Children's Hospital Radius Specialty Hospital Boston Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital Bournewood Hospital Faulkner Hospital Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital Beverly Hospital Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Massachusetts Mental Health Center VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus UMass Memorial Marlborough Hospital MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Hospital Caritas Carney Hospital Hampstead Hospital Parkland Medical Center Milton Hospital UMass Memorial Clinton Hospital Westwood Lodge Hospital Quincy Medical Center Westborough State Hospital Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Westborough HealthAlliance Hospital Leominster Campus 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. |
Suggested Reading on Agoraphobia by Our Doctors
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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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Anxiety
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