Agoraphobia (cont.)
Medical Author:
Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD
Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MDDr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland. Medical Editor:
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MDMelissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology. In this Article
 What are the complications of agoraphobia?Agoraphobia increases the likelihood that the person will also suffer from another anxiety disorder and that both conditions will be more severe and difficult to treat. Also, agoraphobia tends to occur more often in individuals who have a number of different physical conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and asthma. If left untreated, agoraphobia may worsen to the point at which the person's life is seriously affected by the disease itself and/or by attempts to avoid or conceal it. In fact, some people have had problems with friends and family, failed in school, and/or lost jobs while struggling to cope with severe agoraphobia or another severe phobia. There may be periods of spontaneous improvement, but the condition does not usually go away unless the person receives treatments designed specifically to help phobia sufferers. Further, alcoholics can be up to 10 times more likely to suffer from a phobia than those who are not alcoholics, and phobic individuals can be twice as likely to be addicted to alcohol as are people who have never been phobic. Is there coping and support information for both agoraphobia patients and their family members and loved ones?The following organizations can provide information, self-help tips, and/or support for individuals experiencing agoraphobia as well as their families. ABIL (Agoraphobics Building Independent Lives), Inc. Agoraphobics in Motion
American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry
American Counseling Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Psychological Association
Anxiety Disorders
Association of America Council on Anxiety Disorders Freedom From Fear
National Anxiety Foundation
National Association of
Social Workers
National Mental Health Association
National Panic/Anxiety Disorder News, Inc.
Phobics Anonymous Patient CommentsViewers share their comments
Agoraphobia - Experiences
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Agoraphobia - Symptoms
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Agoraphobia - Treatments
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