What Is Agoraphobia?

What is Agoraphobia? The word agora comes from the Greek language and means open space, so the literal meaning of the word Agoraphobia is fear of opens spaces. That definition is not accurate though.   

Agoraphobia is actually a panic disorder (also called an anxiety disorder) stemming from a feeling of fear of being in certain types of situations in which escaping would be difficult or embarrassing.  

A person with Agoraphobia, an agoraphic, might experience extreme fear in situations such as being home alone, traveling on a plain, traveling in a car, riding an elevator, or just being in a large crowd.

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A lot of times the fear is so intense that an agoraphobia sufferer will be afraid to leave his home in fear of encountering a frightening situation. 

Now that we have answered the question "What is Agoraphobia?" we can move onto how the behavioral changes that happens in order to avoid situations that can trigger a panic attack.  

A person with agoraphobia may start exhibiting avoidant behavior such as always looking at the environment for ways to escape and avoid places that do not have an easy accessible escape route.  

Most Agoraphobia development is triggered by panic attacks associated with panic disorder. About 1/3 of those diagnosed with panic disorder develop agorophobia. This condition can have drastic negative effects on ones daily activities.  

The risk of getting agoraphobia increases if a person with panic disorder is not properly diagnosed and treated.  

Agoraphobia is much more common with woman than it is with men. This can be attributed to social or cultural factors that encourage avoidant coping strategies by the female gender. 

Some other theories state that woman are more likely to reach out and receive help, therefore more woman are more likely diagnosed, and that males are more likely to turn to alcohol abuse and those are diagnosed as alcoholics. Those are just theories though as medical research have no real clear explanation to the difference in male and female agoraphobia diagnoses.  

CAUSES OF AGOROPHOBIA 

The exact cause of agoraphobia is unknown, they're several medical theories that are based on social, environments, genetic, and biological factors and interactions.  

As with panic disorder some Agoraphobia instances have been shown to run in ones family. Also major transitional periods in a persons life such as graduating college, moving far away, having a child, and getting engage have also been known contribute to Agoraphobia development.  

The chronic use of certain drugs such as sleeping pills and tranquilizers has also been associated with agoraphobia. 

AGOROPHOBIA ASSOCIATOIN WITH PANIC ATTACKS 

Persons with agoraphobia usually experience panic attacks while being in places where they fear that they cannot escape or be embarrassed. These panic attacks usually peak in intensity within 10 to 15 minutes, and last as long as an hour.  

Some symptoms that may occur during a panic attack are fast beating heart, extreme sweating, difficulty breathing, vomiting, and head fog.  

I hope this article has thoroughly answered the question "What Is Agoraphobia?".