Agoraphobia, symptoms and treatment methods

Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder that causes fear of going outside and being outside the walls of your home.

The symptoms of agoraphobia can vary from mere discomfort to complete disability, as you cannot leave the house or can only be in some familiar places.

So, what is agoraphobia and how common is it?

Approximately 2% of the world's population suffers from this type of disorder every year. But since, according to some experts, the problem of agoraphobia has not yet been fully studied, this figure may be much higher. Women are several times more likely to be diagnosed with this type of disorder than men.

Agoraphobia and social anxiety

It should be noted that an agoraphobic man is a man who is prone to intense fear in various social situations.

Social anxiety can be caused by the following situations:

• Fear of speaking in public
• going to a festive event with strangers
• Eating outdoors or in an unfamiliar place (cafe or restaurant)
• talking to a shop assistant, etc.

At the same time, specialists diagnose social anxiety disorder more often than agoraphobia, covering about 13% of the population. Also, both conditions can be accompanied by symptoms that are similar to panic attacks (heart palpitations, excessive sweating, and heavy breathing).

Causes of agoraphobia and risk factors

Experts can't say for sure what causes agoraphobia, but there is a chance that it will occur if a brother, sister, or other close relative has this type of disorder. Thus, genetics may be involved.

Also, the risk of agoraphobia increases if you suffer from panic disorder or panic attacks, i.e. factors of severe mental and physical anxiety. These conditions can appear suddenly and disappear quickly.

With a large number of panic attacks, a person begins to avoid places that he or she believes may cause them. Agoraphobia or fear of open spaces is considered to be quite rare, but there are a number of factors that can develop this type of disorder:

• Other types of phobias caused by intense feelings of fear.
• Depression, IBS, or other mental health disorders.
• Being in a relationship with someone who is controlling or abusive.
• Various stressors in your life, especially childhood abuse or the loss of a loved one in your youth, which increases the risk of agoraphobia.

Various post-traumatic stress disorders that increase the risk of severe anxiety, such as job loss, loneliness, or divorce.

How to treat agoraphobia

Most often, anxiety disorders and panic attacks go away on their own, but you should inform a specialist about your symptoms. Treatment can be both conversational therapy and medication.

Therapy. The most effective way to treat agoraphobia is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure therapy. CBT is a short-term therapy (12 to 20 weeks) that helps to change the thoughts and behaviors that increase a person's anxiety. He or she can also learn relaxation and breathing exercises.

During CBT, your therapist will teach you:

• What causes anxiety and panic attacks?
• What is panic disorder?
• How can you deal with the physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety?
• How to cope with thoughts that something bad can always happen?

To address such issues, may be prescribedvarious medications. However, it is important to understand that every drug has side effects, and if taken improperly or without medical supervision, these effects can become more pronounced. You can learn more about such side effects during treatment, for example, with statins, in our article "Statins  - can they cause dizziness and dementia?".

Medications for agoraphobia.

There are many medications that your doctor can recommend to treat agoraphobia, but antidepressants are considered the most effective.

The most effective medications used to treat agoraphobia are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as:

• Citalopram (Celexa).
• Escitalopram oxalate (Lexapro).
• Fluoxetine (Prozac).
• Fluvoxamine (Luvox).
• Paroxetine (Paxil).
• Sertraline (Zoloft).
• Venlafaxine (Effexor).

Other therapies.

A specialist may recommend applied relaxation. This is a technique where you learn to notice physical tension in your body and relax the muscles associated with anxiety. For more information on mental health treatments and alternative approaches, visit our website.