Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder. It makes people really scared in situations where it’s hard to get away or find help. They might be too scared to leave their house or go a long way from home.
The name “agoraphobia” comes from an old Greek word that means a busy public place like a marketplace.
Some people think agoraphobia means being afraid of wide-open spaces, but it’s more complicated. It’s about feeling scared in certain situations, like being in a crowd or using public transportation.
People with agoraphobia might also have panic attacks. These can be really bad and make it impossible for them to leave home.
Agoraphobia can happen at any time of age, but usually, it starts when someone is between 25 and 35 years old. It’s more common in women than in men.
Treatment
Agoraphobia is usually treated by doctors using a mix of medicine and therapy to help people feel better.
Medication
Doctors might prescribe two kinds of medication:
- SSRIs: These are antidepressants that can assist with agoraphobia, but they might take a few weeks to start working.
- Benzodiazepines: These are drugs that calm you down quickly, but they can be addictive if you use them for a long time.
It’s important to know that sometimes when you start taking antidepressants, you might feel worse before you feel better. If you’re worried about side effects, talk to your doctor.
Therapy
In therapy, you talk to a therapist to figure out why you feel anxious and how to deal with it. One type of therapy called CBT is especially helpful for agoraphobia. In CBT, you learn:
- New ways to handle situations that make you anxious
- Ways to manage stress and anxiety
- Techniques like deep breathing to calm down
Therapists might start by going outside with you for short trips and gradually going farther as you get more comfortable. Sometimes, therapy can happen online or over the phone, so you don’t have to leave home.
Friends and family can support you by knowing about agoraphobia, being understanding, and helping you take small steps when you’re ready.
Self-care tips
Here are some things you can do to help yourself feel better:
- Get treatment and follow your doctor’s advice.
- Try relaxation exercises.
- Stay active with regular exercise.
- Eat healthy foods.
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and drugs.
Symptoms
Agoraphobia can make you feel lots of different things, both emotionally and physically, and these feelings can be different for everyone. Some people can handle their agoraphobia by sticking to a routine, but for others, it can really make life hard.
According to doctors, individuals with agoraphobia usually worry about things like:
- Riding public transportation
- Being in wide-open spaces
- Being in small, enclosed spaces
- Waiting in lines
- Being in crowds
- Going outside alone without anyone else
The biggest fear is usually being in a situation where you feel trapped and can’t get help. This fear can get worse until you have a panic attack.
Physical Symptoms
When agoraphobia comes with panic attacks, your body might react in different ways, like:
- Your heart racing or beating really fast
- Having trouble breathing or feeling like you can’t catch your breath
- Sweating a lot
- Feeling sick to your stomach
- Having chest pain or discomfort
- Feeling dizzy or like you might faint
- Throwing up or having other stomach problems
- Getting hot or cold flashes
- Feeling like you’re choking
- Shaking or trembling
- Feeling confused or lost
A study from 2015 also found that people with agoraphobia might have more inflammation in their bodies over time. This could mean they have a higher chance of getting heart problems.
Changes in Behavior
When someone has agoraphobia, they often try to avoid situations that make them feel scared. They might also:
- Act differently at school, home, or work
- Stop hanging out with friends
- Only buy things online instead of going to the store
- Start using alcohol or drugs more
They might rely on other people a lot or stay home for a long time without going out.
Causes
We’re not exactly sure why agoraphobia happens, but it might have something to do with changes in certain parts of the brain that control fear.
Doctors have found three main things that could make someone more likely to get agoraphobia:
- Things that happen around you: Like if you’ve been through something really scary, like a crime or abuse, it could make you more likely to have agoraphobia.
- Genetics runs in your family: You might inherit agoraphobia from your parents or other family members.
- Temperamental factors: Some people just seem to get more anxious than others, and that might make them more likely to have agoraphobia.
Also, there seems to be a connection between agoraphobia and panic disorder. That means about 30–50% of individuals with agoraphobia also had panic disorder or panic attacks before they started having symptoms of agoraphobia.
Diagnosis
When a doctor wants to figure out if someone has agoraphobia, they’ll talk to the person and ask about how they’re feeling. They’ll ask questions like if they’re scared to leave the house or be in certain places.
Doctors use a set of rules called the DSM-5 to diagnose agoraphobia. They’ll say someone has agoraphobia if they feel really anxious or scared in two of these situations:
- Riding public transportation
- Being in wide-open spaces
- Being in small, enclosed spaces
- Being in a crowd or waiting in a line
- Going outside alone
The doctor also checks for these things:
- The person avoids these situations or won’t go unless someone they trust is with them.
- They’re scared they won’t be able to get away or get help if they feel embarrassed or have a panic attack.
- Their fear seems way worse than what’s really happening.
- Their fear makes them really upset and stops them from doing things they need to do.
- There’s no other reason for their fear and anxiety.
- They’ve been feeling this way for at least 6 months.
The doctor also has to make sure the symptoms aren’t from something else, like another phobia or social anxiety. They might do some tests to check for other problems that could be causing the symptoms.
Outlook
Agoraphobia can stick around for a long time if someone doesn’t get help for it. It’s considered to be something that stays with you for a long time if you don’t treat it. But the good news is that treatment can really help manage it.
If someone gets treatment for agoraphobia, about half of them might get completely better. Others might not fully recover, but they can feel a lot better, especially when they’re not stressed out.
Without treatment, only about 1 in 10 people feel a lot better or don’t have symptoms at all.
Agoraphobia can make it hard for someone to do everyday things. So, if someone’s feeling the symptoms, it’s important for them to get help as soon as they can.
