Other Treatments
for
Agoraphobia & Anxiety
There are other methods of treatment for anxiety and agoraphobia, among them
are medications and different types of psychological therapy. Anti-depressants
such as Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft have proven to be effective with some people.
Anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax can also can be very useful.
Often phobics have a difficult time taking medications because they're
afraid of the physical reactions they'll experience if there are side effects.
One way to make this process easier is to shave the pills with a razor blade
and take tiny doses until a tolerance can be built up.
Therapy
Cognitive therapy has been enormously helpful to me in my quest to
learn coping skills to deal with my phobic challenge. It primarily addresses
the way we think and the little messages we give ourselves each day that
contribute to our anxiety. Learning a different way of thinking is wonderfully
helpful in anxiety management.
This type of therapy represents a significant advance in the treatment and
prevention of emotional disorders. It's based upon the rationale that certain
behavioral and emotional disorders are produced by negative and self-defeating
perceptions about ourselves, the future, and the world around us. Cognitive
therapy teaches people to identify and change their negative thinking patterns
in order to improve self-esteem, enhance interpersonal relationships, and
relieve the symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.
Numerous scientific studies have shown that cognitive therapy can often be
as effective as medication for the treatment of certain types of depression,
and can be quite effective in preventing relapse.
Cognitive therapy has been successfully applied in the treatment of
depression, anxiety disorders, including stress, phobias, panic disorder and
agoraphobia. It's also been successful in treating marital and family conflict,
sexual dysfunction, and problems with teenagers and children. Developed by
Aaron T. Beck, M.D., at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Cognitive
Therapy, this treatment approach continues to be studied and developed at major
universities around the world.
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