What is agoraphobia? Not everyone can answer this question. Therefore, we decided to talk about the mentioned form of fear in the materials of this article. Also, information about why such a condition occurs, what symptoms are inherent in it, how to treat it and who to contact will be presented to your attention.
What is agoraphobia?
Agoraphobia is called the panic fear of open spaces. However, it should be noted that this term was originally used to mean a person’s fear of visiting markets and market squares that are constantly crowded with people.
What can cause fear?
In the modern world, the fear of open doors is also called agoraphobia. In addition, for people who go outside their apartment or house, the following can cause fear:
- public places (for example, various shops, cinemas, markets, shopping centers);
- venues for meetings and social events (such as rallies or events);
- travel in ground or underground public transport;
- places of rest in parks and in nature (for example, forest parks and open reservoirs).
Features of fear
So what is agoraphobia? At its core, this is a fear of not open spaces or crowding of a large number of people, but a fear of falling into a situation where nothing depends on a person. With agoraphobia, the patient feels the hopelessness of his position and absolute helplessness. He is frightened not only by being in such places, but also by the thought of the possibility of finding himself in a similar situation. At the same time, such ideas often cause strong panic.
Fear of space and crowding of a large number of people very often develops at the age of 24-30 years. According to statistics, women are 2 times more likely than men to suffer from this mental disorder.
It must be remembered that agoraphobia does not have any effect on the physical health of a person and his intellectual abilities in the usual state.
What are the reasons?
An experienced psychotherapist can advance in the treatment of agoraphobia in a few sessions. However, specialists cannot identify the specific causes that caused such a disorder.
Scientists who have been studying this problem for many years have not been able to come to a consensus. There are a number of factors that can provoke the development of agoraphobia. These include the following:
- The difficult psychological situation in which people find themselves outside the home (for example, a car accident, a drunken brawl, a terrorist act), often forms a false idea that being outside your home or apartment is extremely dangerous for life.
- Problems with orientation in open space, that is, in those cases when in a crowd or in an area a person begins to lose orientation and experiences strong fear.
- Various psychological personality disorders. These include panic attacks, social phobia, or panic disorders.
- Uncontrollable and rich imagination, social vulnerability and increased emotionality.
It should also be noted that often the cause of the development of agoraphobia can be a complex of psychological and physical factors. To determine them, a consultation with a psychotherapist is required.
Symptoms of the disorder
What are the symptoms of a disorder like agoraphobia? Symptoms of this condition may be different.
The emotional stress that occurs during bouts of uncontrolled fear immediately affects the activity of all internal organs. As a result, a spasm of blood vessels, diaphragm, muscles of the body, intestines, bronchi and stomach is provoked. In order to provide blood to the entire compressed body, the heart muscle involuntarily increases the number of contractions. Therefore, anxiety or fear is constantly accompanied by a rapid heartbeat.
Thus, the following are the main symptoms of agoraphobia:
- loss of control over their actions;
- ringing in the ears, dizziness and fainting ;
- uncontrolled panic that lasts 10 minutes or more;
- rapid breathing, palpitations, and pulse;
- diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea;
- uncontrolled body tremors and excessive sweating;
- sharp adrenaline rush;
- unmotivated fear of death.
Diagnostics
How is agoraphobia diagnosed? To identify such a disorder, the psychotherapist asks the patient to report on his feelings and general mood. The specialist also finds out if the patient’s panic state is caused by other mental difficulties.
In addition, agoraphobia is diagnosed by the following criteria:
- The patient is worried if he is in a situation or place where, in the event of a panic, fleeing, as well as getting help, will be difficult (for example, being in a crowd, traveling on a bus or plane).
- The patient in every possible way avoids the listed places.
- A person is in such places with particular anxiety.
- The patient can visit these places only with the support of a loved one.
- There is no other disease that can explain these symptoms.
Treatment methods
For the treatment of agoraphobia, a mandatory consultation of a psychotherapist is required. If the diagnosis has been confirmed, then the therapy is carried out by two main methods that are used in combination:
- Special medicines (e.g. antidepressants and tranquilizers);
- Psychotherapy, including hypnosis.
Turning to a highly qualified specialist for help, you should be patient and follow all his recommendations.
The treatment process for agoraphobia is quite lengthy. However, the result is worth the time spent.
Possible complications
If agoraphobia therapy has not been performed, then there is a significant risk of developing depression, anxiety disorders, alcoholism or drug addiction.
It should also be noted that a patient with a similar diagnosis will ultimately lead a very limited lifestyle. In advanced cases, the patient will never leave the house, and will be completely dependent on other people.
A person chained to his home completely loses his professional prospects. At the same time, not only his social life is limited, but also the opportunity to get an education and learn new skills.
As a rule, such people have neither friends nor family.
To summarize
Now you know what agoraphobia is. This is a rather serious psychological problem for the whole society. The generation of children growing up with computers, laptops, tablets and phones is most affected by this disorder. For them, the familiar and so-called safe world is on the other side of the screen. At the same time, outside the windows and doors of an apartment or house, the world is becoming increasingly incomprehensible, aggressive and hostile.
Modern young people are increasingly giving their preference to contactless communication through social networks, skype, chat and others. This helps to wean from personal meetings, face-to-face conversations, etc.
By the way, today not only young people limit themselves in live communication, but almost all adult men and women. They began to buy clothes, products and household appliances through the World Wide Web, ordering them through online stores. In addition, more and more people are eager to work at home.
All these factors minimize the need to go beyond your own home, and can be a pretty serious prerequisite for the emergence of mass agoraphobia in the near future.