Agoraphobia Symptoms

Agoraphobia. A term that has made the life of many affected by it miserable. This term is made up of two Greek words, agora and phobos. In simple English, these words put together mean panic attack in the market. Agoraphobia is a panic disorder that occurs when one has the fear of developing a panic attack in a place from where they cannot escape. In reality, these people are scared to go out to places from where they might not get an easy escape, if embarrassed or when they wish to leave. For example, an agoraphobic may be scared to visit the Disco or a dance club. They are not scared of the number of people or large crowd gathered there. They have a fear that they will never be able to leave the place without drawing any attention towards them. They somehow feel this as an embarrassing situation that may lead to panic attacks. In other words, these people feel cornered in a social setup. Let us have a look at some of the agoraphobia symptoms that may occur when an agoraphobic person encounters a difficult social situation.

Causes
The exact cause is not known. It is thought to be a complication of a panic disorder that may be triggered due to physical reactions. It is seen, that most of the cases develop between the age of 18 to 30 years. One factor that may contribute to developing the causes is child abuse. Sometimes over anxious or critical parents may also lead to development of agoraphobia in adults. A stressful childhood environment and overuse of tranquilizers or sleeping pills may contribute to the condition. A frightening experience in life may cause one to become agoraphobic. Basically, it is a combination of biological as well as psychological factors that may together lead to developing the symptoms.

General Symptoms
Agoraphobia tends to make people avoid certain things like going to the mall, parties, traveling by bus, train or planes, standing on the bridge or line, being a part of crowd and loathe attending social gatherings. They tend to fear that they may never be able to escape the place without embarrassing themselves. They avoid going far from their homes and move out only if they are with a trusted family member or friend. As the fear continues to grip their mind, they become more and more dependent on their caretaker or the trusted aide. They refuse to go anywhere if that trusted person is not around. It soon becomes too stressing and embarrassing for both the agoraphobic and the caretaker. The agoraphobic becomes totally disabled as they cannot move around freely. They lose their jobs and friends as they refuse to leave their houses for many years. They cannot even go and shop for their groceries. Visit to the doctor becomes a task as they avoid visiting their clinics as they fear being embarrassed. The symptoms can be divided into two types, one that involves the physical symptoms and other that includes the emotional upheaval.

Emotional Symptoms of Agoraphobia:

• A constant fear of having a panic attack
• The person has a fear of being alone
• Dependency on others like family members or trusted friend
• The person may fear losing control of themselves or their minds in public
• Fear of being in an embarrassing situational
• Feelings of helplessness
• Avoidance behavior
• Fear of crowds, shopping malls, churches, elevators or other situations with limited hiding or escaping options

Physical Symptoms:

• Breathing problems
• Dizziness
• Hyperventilation symptoms
• Choking
• Racing or rapid heartbeat
• Excessive sweating
• Nausea
• Depersonalization
• Pounding in chest, discomfort and feeling a crushing weight on chest
• Heavy legs that feel stuck to the ground
• Feeling that one is about to die then and there

Panic Disorder along with Symptoms
There are different types of agoraphobia that may be due to depression, depersonalization and anxiety. Most of the cases have panic attacks associated with the symptoms. People thought that it is the fear of open spaces. However, this is not true and it develops in combination with panic attacks. When one has this disorder, the person fears having a panic attack in a situation from where they cannot escape. In order to avoid the panic attacks, one starts avoiding more and more places.

• Chest pain
• Choking
• Fear of going 'crazy'
• Hot flushes or chills
• Nausea
• Palpitations
• Feelings of throwing up
• Shortness of breath
• Trembling
• Sweating
• Fear of being alone
• Feelings of anxiety in difficult situations
• Feeling detached or separated from other people
• Dependency on others
• Inability to leave the house without a trusted helper

Symptoms Seen in Children
As mentioned earlier, symptoms first make their appearance in adults between the age of 18 to 30 years. In some cases, the patient may be in their early 30s or 40s. The symptoms in children are very rare and therefore becomes a common distinguishing factor between childhood phobias and adult fears. However, the basis of the symptoms in adults is that it may have a root in the childhood years. The child may have been abused or may have witnessed a traumatic situation. Even being bitten by a dog in childhood, may form the basis of panic attacks in adults.

Treatment
The agoraphobia treatment consists of medications along with psychotherapy. Medications include antidepressants and antianxiety medications. Psychotherapy includes counseling the patient and helping him overcome his fears. The patient is taught to control his panic symptoms and understand the factors that may trigger an episode. The doctor may even try exposure therapy that helps the patient confront his fears. This includes going to the places they fear the most and traveling by public transport.

What you need to know about agoraphobia is that it is a treatable condition. One can live a free, independent life if the therapy is successful. One needs to fight their fears and overcome all barriers that stop them from living a fulfilling life. It is very difficult to visit the places one fears the most, but if one takes one step towards recovery, it will make a whole lot of difference. Symptoms of agoraphobia can cripple one's life. Be strong and have confidence in yourself. Overcoming your fears, is the only way you can avoid becoming dependent on others for life.