The topic that will be discussed is Agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder that usually develops out of a panic disorder that already exists. Agoraphobia is the fear of being in any place or situation where one may experience panic or stress because they may feel trapped embarrassed, helpless, or that escaping the current situation is hindered. It can be summarized as the fear of having a panic attack in a public setting. It often involves a fear of crowds, bridges or of being outside alone.
Agoraphobia was first established in an 1873 issue of the Journal of Mental Science. The term is accredited to Dr. C. Westphal, a German psychiatrist, he observed three male patients in a public setting and they all showed extreme anxiety and feelings of dread when they had to enter certain areas of the city. Westphal’s the original description of it was the fear of squares or open places. The root word agora is Greek for open spaces such as market places where usually there are large amounts of people.
People with Agoraphobia can experience symptoms such as trembling, breaking out in a sweat, heart palpitations, paresthesias (tingling or "pins and needles" sensations in the hands or feet), nausea, fatigue, rapid pulse or breathing rate, or a sense of impending doom. People can experience one or more symptoms during an episode or attack. Diagnosing Agoraphobia is extremely difficult because in order to be officially diagnosed with ita person must have to have at least 2 or more of these fears: afraid of closed spaces, open spaces, standing in line, standing in a crowd, afraid of being outside of house without help, shared transportation. In addition to this criteria, they must also experience panic like symptoms like shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, trembling, etc for at least six months every time they enter situations that are open, public, or when they are alone. This has to impact their life so dramatically that they can't leave their house, or live and perform normal daily tasks and activities. There are multiple forms of treatment for Agoraphobia. A non-medicinal form of treatment is Psychotherapy. This is where patients can speak with therapists in order express, confront, and establish their fears. It also helps patients change faulty thinking and correct firmly held beliefs that are hindering their life. Just talking about their illnesses and fears can aid in reduction of anxiety. There is also medications in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy such as anti- depressants and anxiety (ex. Benzodiazepines and Xanax). These medications won’t totally diminish fears of an individual but can merely calm patients so they will possibly participate and go to therapy About 1.8 million American adults over the age of over 18 deal with agoraphobia without any previous history of panic disorder. This phobia is one of the most common, affecting between 2.7% and 5.8% of adults.The average ages of onset of symptoms typically happen anywhere between the age twenty and age thirty-five. Like most phobias, …show more content…
As a result, it has been concluded that this phobia in adults is the aftereffects of unresolved childhood separation anxiety or traumatic death. Many patients diagnosed with agoraphobia report that their first episode happened after the death of a loved one. Another conclusion found was that diagnosed patients felt safe going out into public settings as long as someone was present with them. This evidence supported the separation anxiety
Agoraphobia was first established in an 1873 issue of the Journal of Mental Science. The term is accredited to Dr. C. Westphal, a German psychiatrist, he observed three male patients in a public setting and they all showed extreme anxiety and feelings of dread when they had to enter certain areas of the city. Westphal’s the original description of it was the fear of squares or open places. The root word agora is Greek for open spaces such as market places where usually there are large amounts of people.
People with Agoraphobia can experience symptoms such as trembling, breaking out in a sweat, heart palpitations, paresthesias (tingling or "pins and needles" sensations in the hands or feet), nausea, fatigue, rapid pulse or breathing rate, or a sense of impending doom. People can experience one or more symptoms during an episode or attack. Diagnosing Agoraphobia is extremely difficult because in order to be officially diagnosed with ita person must have to have at least 2 or more of these fears: afraid of closed spaces, open spaces, standing in line, standing in a crowd, afraid of being outside of house without help, shared transportation. In addition to this criteria, they must also experience panic like symptoms like shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, trembling, etc for at least six months every time they enter situations that are open, public, or when they are alone. This has to impact their life so dramatically that they can't leave their house, or live and perform normal daily tasks and activities. There are multiple forms of treatment for Agoraphobia. A non-medicinal form of treatment is Psychotherapy. This is where patients can speak with therapists in order express, confront, and establish their fears. It also helps patients change faulty thinking and correct firmly held beliefs that are hindering their life. Just talking about their illnesses and fears can aid in reduction of anxiety. There is also medications in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy such as anti- depressants and anxiety (ex. Benzodiazepines and Xanax). These medications won’t totally diminish fears of an individual but can merely calm patients so they will possibly participate and go to therapy About 1.8 million American adults over the age of over 18 deal with agoraphobia without any previous history of panic disorder. This phobia is one of the most common, affecting between 2.7% and 5.8% of adults.The average ages of onset of symptoms typically happen anywhere between the age twenty and age thirty-five. Like most phobias, …show more content…
As a result, it has been concluded that this phobia in adults is the aftereffects of unresolved childhood separation anxiety or traumatic death. Many patients diagnosed with agoraphobia report that their first episode happened after the death of a loved one. Another conclusion found was that diagnosed patients felt safe going out into public settings as long as someone was present with them. This evidence supported the separation anxiety