Panic attacks are strongly associated with agoraphobia, which is an anxiety disorder involving the fear of not being able to escape a difficult or embarrassing situation.
As a result of this fear, many people who suffer from agoraphobia avoid public and open spaces and often confine themselves to places in which they feel safe, such as their home. It is not uncommon for people affected by this condition to have difficulty moving away from these places into open spaces.
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Definition
Although agoraphobia is commonly thought of as a fear of open spaces, this is not clinically accurate when the nature of the condition is properly considered.
The most likely reason for this misconception can be explained by the derivation of the work from ancient Greek. Agora is a term that refers to the meeting place of a town or city where people would discuss various issues and includes a number of public places, also described as open. Thus, agoraphobia is a fear of these open places, particularly as the affected individual feels like they are unable to escape.
Causes
Any condition that has the potential to inhibit an individual from going outside into the public due to an irrational fear may be responsible for causing agoraphobia. These conditions may include:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Social anxiety disorder
- Social phobia or anxiety
- Fear of having a panic attack
When these fears amount to the level of anxiety that stop an individual from leaving their safe haven, the condition may be described as a panic disorder with agoraphobia.
Diagnosis
It is important to distinguish agoraphobia when diagnosing a panic attack disorder. As a result, it is common practice for medical professionals to check for signs of agoraphobia when making a diagnosis of panic attack disorder.
The defining characteristic of agoraphobia is staying within safe territories and avoiding public and open spaces at great lengths.
This can, in fact, make it difficult to diagnose the condition, as often people who suffer from the condition do not feel comfortable leaving the house to seek help for the condition.
What Is Agoraphobia Like - How Do You Help It?
Management
In the treatment of agoraphobia, it is important that the aim of therapy involves the integration of the patient into public spaces as normal, in addition to reducing or eliminating the occurrence of panic attacks.
Exposure treatment and systemic desensitization are often used to help individuals feel more at ease in situations that would otherwise result in fear and panic attacks. This is often more successful if the patients are accompanied by a trusted friend who can help them if the need arises.
In the case that a panic attack does occur in a public space, it is important that the individual remains in the area until the anxiety has improved. This is because distancing themselves from the situation can lead to worsening of the phobic response in the future.
Adequate counseling and helping the individual to relax can be very helpful for improving the condition and preventing anxiety and panic in these situations. Medications also have a role to play in the treatment of agoraphobia. Benzodiazepines can aid individuals to regain control over their physical symptoms when experiencing a panic attack.
To aid in the prevention of attacks, some anti-depressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be used. These pharmaceutical agents are able to alter the way in which individuals respond to situations, as they have effects that tend to decrease symptoms of panic.
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