Agoraphobia is a panic disorder that causes a person to develop feelings such as anxiety, fear, discomfort, and embarrassment about environments outside of their own safe space. Although the equivalent of agoraphobia is the fear of space, the situation can sometimes become more complicated than that. Agoraphobia occurs as a result of going outside of the areas where the person feels safe. E.g; Being in closed areas such as cinemas, elevators, shopping malls, buses, planes or trains, entering closed or open parking lots, passing through tunnels or bridges, and entering crowded environments in general can trigger agoraphobia.
Agoraphobia sufferers may find it very difficult to resist the feelings of this disease. This can make it difficult for a person to leave his home, which he considers the safest area, and can seriously affect his daily life. People who experience agoraphobia feel uncomfortable during their time outside and exhibit avoidance behaviors.
What Are the Symptoms of Agoraphobia?
Agoraphobia symptoms can appear in three different ways. These are observed as symptoms that affect a person's physical condition, symptoms that affect mental health, and symptoms that affect one's behavior. Symptoms of agoraphobia due to panic disorder can be observed in the form of feelings of anxiety, fear and embarrassment when the person thinks that he or she will not be able to get help if he or she needs help in open or closed areas and feels lonely.
Physical Symptoms of Agoraphobia
Psychological Symptoms of Agoraphobia
The psychological symptoms of agoraphobia can also occur depending on the physical symptoms the person is experiencing. These symptoms can be listed as follows:
*Fear of being alone at home
*Thinking that if something happens to the person during his/her stay outside the home, he/she will not be able to get help
*Feeling of embarrassment due to the emergence of symptoms related to panic disorder in the community
*Don't think you're having a heart attack
*Don't think you've had a stroke
*Feeling in danger all the time not breathing
*Feeling of losing your mind
Behavioral Symptoms of Agoraphobia
*Avoiding crowds
*Having someone with you when you go anywhere
*Not preferring places away from home
*Do not leave the house
Treatment of AgoraphobiaWhat are the Causes of Agoraphobia?
It is important what it is, what it experiences and how it can be resolved rather than what causes agoraphobia, but there are still several psychological disorders that are thought to be associated with agoraphobia:*Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)*anxiety disorder*Claustrophobia*Alcohol and substance use*Loss of a loved one*Depression* History of sexual abuse as a child or in the future* Family history of agoraphobia
The symptoms of the person are examined for the diagnosis and diagnosis of disorders such as agoraphobia. In order to rule out diseases that have the same symptoms as agoraphobia, the psychologist or psychiatrist will examine symptoms such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, severe tremors in the hands and feet, and recommend investigating their origin. If the symptoms that emerge as a result of the research develop due to a different disease, they are referred for appropriate treatment and also therapy is started.
The most important thing at this point is how much the person is affected by this situation. In addition, the decision is made by looking at the physical condition and mental health of the person with agoraphobia. The same treatment method is not applied to every patient diagnosed with agoraphobia. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is generally recommended for the treatment of agoraphobia. In cases where the therapist who has received cognitive behavioral therapy training deems it appropriate, drug treatments can also be applied to prevent the triggering of diseases that affect mental health such as anxiety and depression.
