Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is a mental disorder characterized by the fear of throngs (public parks, large markets, restaurants) which may require unexpected actions. Fear that panic may occur in public places increases phobia. As a result patients with agoraphobia get attached to their home and can hardly leave it. Agoraphobia is a condition when person can hardly stand unknown places which he cannot control. As an impulse may be crowds of people, wide open spaces, close-in journeys. Anxiety is usually caused by fear of public shame in case of panic attack and helpless behavior on public.
People with agoraphobia experience whiplash of fear in situations when they feel like they are trapped, unsafe, cannot control situation, are too far from personal zone of comfort. At worst, they can be very attached to their homes. Other people with agoraphobia find normal thing to have a party but it should be made in a particular place which they think can be controlled.
Sufferers may live for years in their homes and communicate happily with other people while they are in safe spaces for themselves. Wide space is a wide notion which deals not only with concrete place but condition when, for example, he cannot stand encountering with others people eyes. When he comes out of noncontact condition he experiences panic attack. Patients with agoraphobia may experience sudden panic attacks during journeys where they once felt fear. During an attack, big amounts of adrenaline are released which makes sufferers want to run.
Panic attack occurs suddenly and lasts 10 - 15 minutes. Duration of attacks rarely goes beyond 30 minutes. Main symptoms: strong heartbeat, sweating, shivering and short breath. Also patient may experience fear of death and loss of control over emotions.
In many cases agoraphobia may be successfully treated with expository therapy in combination with cognitive therapy and antidepressants. Expository therapy gives positive effects in most people with mental disorders and agoraphobia. The purpose of this therapy is to remove negative manifestations of agoraphobia and not just to eliminate panic attacks.
Related Articles:
-
Can changing what you eat and how you eat make an impact on anxiety and panic attacks linked to... Read Full Story » -
The feeling was coming back again. A slowly creeping fear in the back of the mind, like a far... Read Full Story » -
Living with agoraphobia is not easy to do as any agoraphobic will tell you. However, some... Read Full Story » -
Agoraphobia is a serious mental health disorder that can impact on various aspects of a person’s... Read Full Story » -
Panic disorder is defined by extreme panic in situations that most people would not see the... Read Full Story »
Comments
