Agoraphobia, or the fear of open spaces, is usually caused by panic attacks. People with panic disorder develop a fear of being too far from home, in unsafe places, or places where escape is difficult. Avoiding crowded areas, public transportation, theaters and malls becomes a habit and bridges, tunnels and other hard to leave places becomes troublesome. There is a strong hereditary link to this phobia as well as an environmental, upbringing connection that may explain your current state of anxiety. While this condition is certainly upsetting, it is definitely treatable, a good answer in a sea of bad news.
About 5% of the American population struggles with this potentially very severe and disturbing anxiety disorder. It has the power to disrupt lives, ruin careers, tear apart families and turn you into a recluse. Of course, this problem comes in many degrees of severity and while your life may not have been shattered, it has certainly been inconvenienced.
The term agoraphobia means a fear of open spaces. However, this is not the essence of this problem. For people suffering from this condition, what they really fear is having a panic attack in a place where assistance is limited, unavailable or embarrassing to obtain.
The unpredictability of anxiety attacks creates a disturbing chain of events that leaves sufferers fearful of exposing themselves to situations where attacks will take place. Imagine driving with your daughter, or sitting in a movie theater, or supervising a play date at the park.
What if you were suddenly struck by a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, sweating, loss of sensation and sheer terror? How would you be able to focus on the road, stay in your seat or watch the kids? You couldn´t and suddenly you are exposing yourself or others to danger or embarrassment. This is the worry that keeps agoraphobia sufferers from venturing to far from home or even leaving their home altogether in its severest form.
Agoraphobia is participated by panic attacks, usually ones that are particularly terrifying or happen at horrendous times and in bad places. People who deal with this problem have usually structured their lives to avoid certain situations.
You probably avoid going to the grocery store, malls and even many restaurants. Public transportation like buses, subways or trains are usually something to be avoided because how would you escape a moving bus or speeding train if you were to suddenly experience a panic attack? Venturing too far away from home to drop your child at a friend´s house, meet someone or do something is usually also avoided.
While panic disorder seems to lead to agoraphobia it is not entirely clear why some sufferers develop this problem and others do not. Some people just contend with the disorder, while others have their problems morph into this more severe phobia.
There seems to be a strong genetic predisposition to this. In studies using identical twin siblings, it was discovered that if one sibling had this problem, it was very likely that the other did as well. Overly critical, overly anxious or overly protective parenting may have also contributed to the present problem.
This phobia is dominated by women but it affects people in all age ranges in all walks of life. While it is a disturbing condition there are many ways to improve it and resolve it. The best starting place is to find a method to help your body to relax and cope with the stress and pressures of daily life. Meditation, yoga and other relaxation techniques are a good starting point. Relaxing your body through exercise and muscle relaxation is a good way to release tension and help calm your mind as well.
Anxiety and Stress – A Risk of Heart Attack?
Anxiety and stress are known to make a patient get a feeling like heart attack due to rapid pulse and shortness of breath. According to a study it is suggested that shortness of breath or rapid pulse experienced due to stress may evoke a feeling similar to heart attack and even result in serious heart troubles in the long run.
Agoraphobia – Is a Treatment Possible in Worst Cases?
For most sufferers, Agoraphobia is like a living hell. They give up all hope due to the intensity of the symptoms they experience. When treated from an early stage, Agoraphobia can be cured easily. However, since a lot of people are unable to recognize the symptoms, they reach a stage where the condition becomes worse and they tend to fear whether or not cure is possible.
Social Phobia - How to Effectively Use Exposure Therapy to Combat Your Phobias!
Dealing with phobias can be troubling! These little fears can cause big reactions, leading to extreme anxiety, panic attacks and total avoidance of particular people, places, things and activities. Common phobias include fear of flying, fear of driving, fear of animals such as dogs and fear of public speaking. For many people, their fears and their anxieties don´t play a daily part in their lives but for phobia sufferers, their thoughts are always directed towards avoiding that which they fear. Exposure therapy is a great way to lessen the dread that so many phobia sufferers have to contend with but it needs to be approached effectively.
