Treatment of Agoraphobia

Advances in the understanding and treatment of Agoraphobia have been made since the days when my mother suffered from it most severely. I feel that back then, the doctors failed to understand the condition, and the few times she actually consulted with a psychiatric specialist they simply talked about what might be wrong, but failed to provide any actual help or support.

Now the treatment for agoraphobia will almost invariably involve psychotherapy. To be more specific, a type of therapy known as cognitive behaviour therapy, commonly referred to as CBT. In addition anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medicines can also be used to help relieve the symptoms of agoraphobia.

It is my understanding that in recent years, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) has achieved some success in treating people with agoraphobia. It works on the principle that the way you feel is in part dependent on the way you perceive things. In earlier posts we looked at how an agoraphobic will think that a panic attack will occur if they are in a certain environment outside of their comfort zone. Cognitive delivered exposure is designed to put the person into the very situation they are afraid of, but with support, so that they can live through the situation with the realisation that their fear was in fact unfounded.

Many psychologists describe agoraphobic thought and behaviour as a vicious circle. This occurs because the person is afraid that if they put themselves into the situation that they fear then they will have a panic attack. As a result, they avoid putting themselves into that situation. Because of this the anxieties are not resolved, but instead become worse, leading to an increased fear of having a panic attack. The vicious circle keeps revolving but it's intensity or effect becomes worse. Cognitive delivered exposure attempts to break the vicious circle by placing the patient into real-life environments.

I have recently read a report where the use of cognitive delivered exposure was described thus; "if you were worried that you would hyperventilate if you had to walk to the corner shop, your therapist would accompany you to the corner shop to see if this was the case."

Wow - a therapist that would walk to the corner shop with you. Are they living in the real world? That would truly be a far cry from the treatment that my dear old mum got.

However, the principle seems sound and is used to overcome many forms of phobia. It basically means to expose the person to the very thing that they fear, but in a controlled and supportive way.

The person who fears that they would experience a panic attack if they walked to the corner shop, can indeed be helped if they are accompanied by a friend or helper (if not a professional therapist). The first steps should involve only short journeys, it will feel less scary for them if they remain close to their "safe zone". the process should be approached slowly and with constant support. Often, people's perceived predictions of how they will react in certain situations are a lot worse than how they actually react.

Cognitive delivered exposure should begin by setting small goals before moving on to more ambitious tasks which are complete by the person alone as their confidence increases.

Therapists are aware that many people with agoraphobia by the very nature of their condition would find it impossible to visit a therapist so they will arrange home visits. Also, an increasing number of effective programmes can be conducted via the Internet, or through the use of interactive software. We will investigate these further next time.

Overcome Agoraphobia - article 2

Overcome Agoraphobia
By Peter Nagy


Many of us have heard of mental disorders, and most of us think that only certain people become afflicted with these conditions. However this is simply not the case. Mental disorders include panic attacks, anxiety disorders and social anxieties as well. These attacks can range from mild discomfort to debilitating agoraphobia and this is a condition that can strike anyone.

Your life is going along the normal path that you've set out when suddenly without any warning terror has you in its grip. You feel weak and helpless. Your heart's pounding and you have trouble breathing. You may even wonder if you're having a heart attack or if you're about to die. When you finally go to see a doctor, you might even be told there's nothing physically wrong with you.

So when you next suffer from an attack you wonder what's wrong with you. You find that certain situations will bring on these frightening attacks and this will be your first clue that you're experiencing a panic attack. Panic attacks are not physical conditions, and that is why your doctor might have had trouble diagnosing your complaint.

So, what is agoraphobia you might ask? This is a condition where an individual doesn't wish to go places or face situations where they could become exposed to panic attacks. The very word agoraphobia itself lets us know the nature of this debilitating condition. 'Agora' comes from the Greek language and it means places where people meet, or a marketplace. 'Phobia' is a fear of something. Thus we can understand that people who suffer from agoraphobia have a fear of being in crowded places.

Agoraphobia is a condition that develops gradually. In general it occurs after a panic attack. After the first attack you may subconsciously be preparing for another attack and fearing the symptoms that will leave you feeling helpless. This cycle of panic attack and impending panic attack can cause you to change your entire lifestyle just to avoid those feelings of terror. As panic attacks can occur anywhere at anytime, we generally associate the first place that we feel helpless as perhaps the reason for our terror.

An agoraphobia sufferer will go out of their way to avoid those places and situations where a panic attack may occur. They may even end up being housebound as they avoid being in crowded places. This unhealthy lifestyle can in itself trigger agoraphobic attacks to occur in everyday normal situations. The increased heart rate may also cause a panic attack because you may think that you're having a heart attack.

As you can see this is a vicious and extremely debilitating mental condition. For sufferers of panic attacks they should seek the medical aid of doctors who specialize in these mental disorders and receive treatment before their panic attacks spiral into agoraphobia where they may end up being restricted in their lifestyle due to their ever increasing fear of being helpless in the face of a panic attack.


Peter Nagy was able to beat his anxiety and now dedicates much of his time researching alternative/natural ways to be healthy.

To learn more about agoraphobia and anxiety disorder visit: --->Overcoming Agoraphobia<---

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Overcome Agoraphobia - article 1

How To Overcome Agoraphobia - The Disease And Its Nature
By Jeanette Pollock


We hear of mental disorders yet calm ourselves by believing that it will not affect us. Panic attacks, social anxieties and anxiety problems are also forms of mental disorders. These problems can vary from being slight irritations to the unbearable agoraphobia. This is a state that can affect anyone. Hence, how to overcome agoraphobia is our primary concern.

Your life's daily routine is suddenly disrupted by a certain terror mechanism that clings to you. Your heartbeat increases, you suffer from breathing problems, you feel absolutely feeble and powerless. Its probably a heart attack or maybe I am dying- this is what crosses your mind. Your doctor will probably tell you that you are perfectly fine physically and there is actually nothing wrong with your physical system.

Thus these attacks will leave you extremely perturbed. You will notice that these alarming and scary attacks will be associated with particular incidents - this is when you will realize that you are going through a panic attack. Doctors usually fail to diagnose a panic attack immediately as they are do not affect the physical systems.

If a person keeps away from places or chooses not to confront situations that will instigate the panic attacks, the state is known as agoraphobia. The root of the word explains its nature- 'Agora" is a Greek word meaning a meeting place for people maybe a marketplace, and 'phobia' refers to a fear of something. Hence it says that agoraphobia is a condition when people suffering from it fear being in congested places.

This development occurs gradually and usually begins after a panic attack. Maybe subconsciously you will begin assimilating yourself for the next attack and also at the same time start being scared of the symptoms that leave you feeble. This whole concept of an attack and anticipating another might just lead to a radical alteration in your mode of living. You just might start doing different things in order to prevent those feelings of dread and shock. Panic attacks are most likely to take place just about anytime and in any given space- the place where the helplessness and weakness first creeps in is considered to be the cause for the terror.

People suffering from agoraphobia dislike and fear congested spaces. As a result of this they are often confined to their homes. They do everything possible to keep away from placers that might instigate a panic attack in order to overcome agoraphobia. This leads to agoraphobia attacks taking place in day-to-day life situations. Your increase in heartbeat might lead you to believe that you are experiencing a heart attack and this might cause a panic attack.

Agoraphobia is a vile and unbearable condition that affects the mind of the individual. People who suffer from panic attacks must immediately seek medical help before the panic attacks turn into a serious disorder. One needs to overcome agoraphobia as soon as possible or it will forever constrain one's lifestyle for fear of crowded spaces. This might also lead a person to become completely wrecked and inept to confront a panic situation.


Learn how to overcome agoraphobia by visiting Jeanette Pollock's website. Jeanette is an ex-panic attack sufferer and provides useful tips, advice and resources to effectively get rid of agoraphobia and panic attacks.

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