Agoraphobia

The dictionary definition of  agoraphobia :

 “Extreme or irrational fear of open or public places”

(Oxford Dictionary of English, 2005)

The ICD-10 definition of  agoraphobia :

“A fairly well-defined cluster of phobias embracing fears of leaving home, entering shops, crowds and public places, or travelling alone in trains, buses or planes."

DSM-IV definition of Agoraphobia 

According to 1994, DSM-IV, agoraphobia is not a psychiatric disorder, but it comes anxiety disorder or escaping of, places or circumstances from which escape might be difficult (or awkward) or in which aid may not be available in the occasion of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms".

Physical Symptoms 

• Faster heart beat

• Hyperventilating

• Flushing

• Stomach upset/Diarrhea.

• Difficulty swallowing.

• Vomiting.

• Trembling.

• Lightheadedness.

• Ringing in the ears.

   Psychological symptoms of agoraphobia

   These symptoms are sometimes related to the physical symptoms:

•   Feel embarrassment.

•   Feel that their heart might stop, may die.

•   Fear of going crazy.

•   Feeling loss of control.

•   Thinking that without the help never be able to move

    Behaviors of agoraphobic people  

•   Avoidance:  avoiding environments and situations that may activate anxiety.

•   Support: Going out to the shops may only be possible if someone comes along too.

•   Flight: departure from the stressful place or situation straight away to back home.

Causes of Agoraphobia

The causes of panic disorders and related panic attacks are still undecided.

 Most professionals believe of the involvement of both biological and

 psychological factors.

psychological factors

A hurtful childhood experience, such as the loss of a parent or being sexually abuse

Experiencing a stressful event, such as sadness or loss of job

A earlier history of mental sickness, such as hopelessness or eatin disorders

Having alcohol or excessive drugs

Discontented relationship

A number of theories about what type of biological factors may be involved with panic disorders are outlined below:

One assumption is that panic disorder is closely linked with your body's natural "fight or flight" reaction.

In people with panic disorder, it is considered that the fight or flight response may be activated abnormally, resulting in a panic attack.

One more hypotheses are: an imbalance in levels of neurotransmitters can influence mood and behaviour. Which can direct to a heightened stress reaction in some situation.

The "fear network" theory is that the brains of people with panic disorders may be wired in a different way from the majority people.

There may be a malfunction in division of the brain recognized to generate both the emotion of. They might generate strong emotions of fear that cause a panic attack.

Relations have been establishing between panic disorders and spatial awareness. Spatial awareness is the capability to judge where you are comparatively other people.

Some people with panic disorders have a weak system of balance that can result in panic disorders feeling.

Treatments for Agoraphobia

Because of the tendency of the one’s with agoraphobia to keep away from feared places, this condition can be going to the market, social life also work place fear
Therefore it is essential for the person with agoraphobia to get treatment. Luckily as with the other phobic disorders, there are a range of valuable treatment approaches:

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT, Berle et al 2008;Vogele et al 2010). The psychotherapist helps determine if there are any maladaptive beliefs that contribute to the mental processes that lead to the anxiety and withdrawal and or avoidance of the feared situation (Berle et al 2008).

• Virtual reality therapy. As with the other phobias, there is increasing use of virtual reality exposure instead of actual reality for the treatment of agoraphobia (Lorenzo González et 2011). The virtual reality exposure has many advantages including easier access and greater control over intensity and duration and quality.