There’s more to agoraphobia than fearing open spaces...
AGORAPHOBIA is a type of anxiety disorder that affects around 1 in 100 people at some point in their lives.
People often think that this anxiety disorder is a fear of leaving the house or of open spaces but that’s not the whole story.
Agoraphobia can be the fear of any situation where the person feels trapped, unsafe, like they can’t escape or access help.
While this often means people with agoraphobia do not like leaving their homes, they may fear situations such as using public transport, visiting busy places, attending work or appointments.
When faced with these situations, people with agoraphobia may experience panic attacks with symptoms including heart palpitations, rapid breathing, dizziness, nausea and sweating.
These physical symptoms can easily be mistaken for a heart attack or similar which further adds to the person’s distress.
People with agoraphobia often cope by avoiding the situations that they fear altogether. having a panic attack.
For some people agoraphobia may be linked to traumatic events such as being the victim of a crime or the death of a loved one.
Treatment for agoraphobia usually involves a combination of lifestyle changes, psychoeducation and guided self-help techniques.
In some cases a talking therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may be offered to help break the cycle of avoidance and challenge negative thinking patterns that are contributing to anxiety.
For more information and support visit nopanic.org.uk/agoraphobia. They might use strategies such as doing their shopping online, relying on others to run errands for them or withdrawing from social activities. While this may reduce anxiety in the short term, it often adds to their problems in the long run as they lose confidence and become isolated and low in mood. There are lots of reasons why someone might develop agoraphobia. It might be part of a more generalised anxiety disorder or it might develop as a person learns to associate certain situations with