Agoraphobia, What It's All About, Panic, Anxiety: Living with Agoraphobia

Living with Agoraphobia

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Living with Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia: What the Heck Is It???

Before we delve into the workings of agoraphobia, it might be a good idea to differentiate between the types of anxiety disorders. In a nutshell, they are:

Panic Disorder: Unexpected panic attacks for no apparent reason. People with panic disorder do not avoid people or places associated with anxiety or panic.
Agoraphobia: Panic disorder combined with avoidance of people or places associated with anxiety or panic.
Social Phobia: Fear of embarrassment or humiliation in social situation.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Chronic anxiety not resulting in panic attacks, phobias or obsessions.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Becoming obsessed with an idea, thought, image or impulse, causing repeated actions in a ritualistic manner.
Simple Phobia: Fear of a specific thing, such as heights, snakes, elevators, etc.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Severe stress resulting from a traumatic event, such as rape, assault, combat or natural disasters.

As I said, these definitions are very simplistic. We'll explore only the symptoms, causes and ramifications of agoraphobia in this section.

Agoraphobia

The word agoraphobia means fear of open spaces; however, the essence of agoraphobia is a fear of panic attacks. If you suffer from agoraphobia, you're afraid of being in situations which might be difficult to escape from; or, in which help might be unavailable if you suddenly had a panic attack.

You may avoid grocery stores or freeways, for example, not so much because of their inherent characteristics, says Dr. Edmund Bourne, author of The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, but because these are situations from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing in the event of panic. Fear of embarrassment plays a key role. Most agoraphobics fear not only having panic attacks, but what other people will think should they be seen having a panic attack. With the embarrassment angle in mind, you can understand why some people with panic disorder slip into agoraphobia.

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While the types of places or situations avoided vary greatly from person-to-person and sometimes even from time-to-time, a definite pattern is usually present. A person with this condition may need a companion, called a support person, when traveling away from home or into new or frightening areas. A support person ensures the availability of help. The agoraphobic avoidance can range from mild to severe.

Okay, now the English translation: Phobics are masters at avoidance!

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