Agoraphobia is one of the very unusual phobias or fears that human being suffers when they are in the open space. Open space here does not mean that this phobia is just the opposite of claustrophobia i.e. fear from close space like in the lift. Here open space means a person who suffers from Agoraphobia has a fear to be in a crowded place like public transport or public places like shopping malls or social gatherings, in other words we can say that leaving the comfortable environment of one’s home leads to this kind of panic attack. Agoraphobia is a subset of panic disorder.
The term Agoraphobia has been coined from the Greek work “Ayopá” meaning gathering place and phobia meaning fear. Agoraphobia is more of a psychological disorder rather than physical disorders. The person has a disability of this disorder goes through an enormous amount of stress when they are in situations which will trigger their panic.
Reasons for developing Agoraphobia
There are many reasons which may lead to this kind of psychological disorder. It has been found that people suffering from Agoraphobia had passed from some kinds stressful situations in the past or in the childhood days. Situations like in the public place where the individual was embarrassed or felt ashamed of. There are situations when a person facing a lot of pressure from the surrounding environment in terms of money, studies or peer pressure may also develop this disorder. The situation becomes so critical that individuals start avoiding such environment and in the process of avoidance develop this disorder and in most of the cases individuals stopping stepping out of the home to avoid any kind of panic attacks. The general age of developing Agoraphobia is 20 years on an average. But till the day the actual reason for developing such kind of disorder has not been fully diagnosed.
Agoraphobia and its Symptoms
There are many psychological, physical and behavioral symptoms that one can attribute to individuals suffering from Agoraphobia.
The psychological symptoms
- The psychological symptoms are the feeling that one will be noticed in the public place, and they will be humiliated or embarrassed. The person starts feeling all of a sudden he/ she can’t breathe. The individual feels fanatical, loses his confidence and self-esteem and all of sudden he/she becomes blank. The person may suffer from depression.
The physical symptoms
- The physical symptoms are nausea, headache, stomach upset, stomach pain, shivering, feeling hot, breathlessness, profuse sweating, dizziness, feeling light-headed, feeling that the individual will faint, ear ringing, palpitation difficult to swallow.
The behavioral symptoms
- The first and the foremost behavioral symptom is that the individual will avoid such situations which will aggravate some kind of panic within the individuals. The individual will try to avoid any kind of public places and public transports where they have to face the human crowd. In certain extreme cases of Agoraphobia, individuals close themselves with the four walls of their home and avoid even going out of the house.
- The individuals sometimes become addicted to some kind of medicines and alcohol so that they can go to the public or make a public speech or face the crowd.
- The individuals suffering from Agoraphobia requires assurance from other individuals that yes they can go out and face the public. Sometimes they need others to accompany them so that they can meet the outside crowd. In situations, they find it very difficult to go out alone and lonely situations may lead to panicky situations.
- Persons with Agoraphobia start avoiding the public appearance and when by accident they face such situations they try to escape from such places as soon as possible.
Non-diagnosed Agoraphobia and Complications
The disorder if not diagnosed at the early stage may lead to many complications. The individual may start feeling frustrated about his or her behavior and may enter into a stage of depression. The person sometimes realizes that their behavior is irrational but still they can’t pull themselves out of such situations. The sufferer may sometimes start developing erotic eating habits, or start taking drugs or alcohol which makes them feel good. These may lead to more complication and causes further health related tribulations.
Agoraphobia treatments
Agoraphobia if diagnosed can be completely cured. The general medical practitioners can cure the individual’s physical disorders, but it is essential to visit a psychiatrist. Psycho counseling such as talking therapy, meditations, breathing therapy, relaxation therapy and certain antidepressant drugs like tricyclic antidepressant or monoamine oxidase inhibitor and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) can cure Agoraphobia. But some of these drugs have lots of side effects.
Some famous persons who suffer from Agoraphobia
Kim Basinger was a famous Hollywood actress when she used to have panic attacks; she used to close herself in her house and for many days used to avoid public appearances. Dontrelle Willis and Zack Greinke both baseball players were put on the disabled list because of their suffering from Agoraphobia.
