Agoraphobia Center - Franconia, VA
Franconia 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 Franconia * David J Wood MD  Philip Greco MD  Julie C Ponquinette MD  Pamela A Quarles MD  NoVa Institute of Psychiatry  Mimi Khine MD  Mimi Ahine  F J Pepper MD PC  Skyline Psychiatric Associates  Skyline Psychiatric Associates  Anne Marie Dietrich MD  Arnold J Kaplin MD Ltd  Kenneth X Robbins MD  Mt Vernon Mental Health  Mt Vernon Mental Health  Mt Vernon Mental Health  Mt Vernon Mental Health  Andrew A Schiavone MD  Hassan A Salih MD  Hassan A Salih MD  Tony A Tsitos MD  James Dee MD  Northern Virginia Psychiatry Specialists  Paul J Peckar MD  Prasad CM MD PC  Ryan S. Shugarman, M.D., PLLC  Chapman & Michener Office of Psychiatry  Chapman & Michener Office of Psychiatry  Michael S Roath MD  David S Frenkel MD  Arthur Mode MD  Richard Sutton MD  Audrey A Moss MD  Sang Tran MD  Peggy J Lomax MD  William A Mitchell MD  Martha S Granger MD  Round House Psychiatric Center Ltd  Round House Psychiatric Center Ltd  Michael Hertzberg MD  Renascence Center  Renascence Center  Edward Zinn MD  S Kalman Kolansky MD PC  Marjorie A Harelick MD  Ross S Silverstein MD  James A Steg MD  Curt Thompson MD & Associates  Joan A Turkus MD  Nari Vaswani MD  Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute  Woodburn Center For Mental Health  Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute  Lillibeth Boruchow MD  Randolph A Frank Jr. MD  Annamma J Jacob MD  John R Maloney MD  James Vell Rives MD  Robert Radin MD  Thomas N Wise MD  Barbara R Hoar MD  Apud, Hirschman & Nunez-Brito MDs  Apud, Hirschman & Nunez-Brito MDs  Ralph Kornbluth MD  Apud, Hirschman & Nunez-Brito MDs  Liza H Gold MD  Northern Virgina Psychiatric Group  Columbia Associates In Psychiatry  Columbia Associates In Psychiatry  Columbia Associates In Psychiatry  Northern Virgina Psychiatric Group  Northern Virgina Psychiatric Group  Northern Virgina Psychiatric Group  Northern Virgina Psychiatric Group  Columbia Associates In Psychiatry  Susan B Trachman MD  Kaiser Permanente Merrifield Mental Health  Kaiser Permanente Merrifield Mental Health  Annelle Primm MD  Kaiser Permanente Merrifield Mental Health  Kaiser Permanente Merrifield Mental Health  Edward Curcio MD  Robert W Johnson MD  Michael J Durr MD  Gordon M Gondos MD  Allan S Melmed MD  Lizann Schloff MD  George Semchyshyn MD  John W McFarland MD  Julian T Brantley MD  Valerie Buyse MD  Gary L Litovitz MD  J David Mitchell MD  Drs Becker Paraguya & Scherer  Kenneth L Kaplan MD  Barry C Gorman MD  Michael A Del Vecchio MD  David E Hiatt MD  Dominion Hospital  Fuad Issa MD FAPA Franconia, 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 Franconia
Nearby Franconia Hospitals *Inova Alexandria Hospital Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Dominion Hospital Inova Fairfax Hospital Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute Virginia Hospital Center The Specialty Hospital of Washington-Hadley Fort Washington Hospital Saint Elizabeth's Hospital The George Washington University Hospital Georgetown University Hospital Sibley Memorial Hospital The Specialty Hospital of Washington Howard University Hospital Psychiatric Institute of Washington Children's National Medical Center Potomac Hospital National Rehabilitation Hospital Washington Hospital Center Washington DC VA Medical Center United Medical Center Providence Hospital The HSC Pediatric Center Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Southern Maryland Hospital Center Walter Reed Army Medical Center National Institutes of Health Gladys Spellman Specialty Hospital Prince George's Hospital Center Washington Adventist Hospital Suburban Hospital Reston Hospital Center Holy Cross Hospital Prince William Hospital Civista Medical Center Doctors Community Hospital Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health Adventist HealthCare Laurel Regional Hospital Montgomery General Hospital Inova Loudoun Hospital Center Graydon Manor Behavioral Health Howard County General Hospital North Spring Behavioral Healthcare Calvert Memorial Hospital 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
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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
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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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