Considering Agoraphobia

There are a number of conditions that fall under the diagnosis of anxiety. Anxiety then is not a singular condition, despite what may be believed. When considering the anxious conditions, the one that may be most dramatic of all is agoraphobia. The agoraphobia condition is defined by a fear or significant anxiety in unfamiliar physical environments. Within the US, roughly five percent of the population is afflicted with agoraphobia, with women more often afflicted than men.

Agoraphobia is not inherently dramatic in the way it presents itself, but it can become so in extreme cases. In an extreme case of agoraphobia, the person affected becomes so overwhelmed by fear or unease or both, that they literally confine themselves to the perceived safety and security of their home. The agoraphobic with this type of dramatic symptom expression isn't necessarily anxious about interacting with other people: the confined agoraphobic is often able to comfortably interact with others as long as that interaction occurs within the agoraphobic's comfort zone.

It’s thought that agoraphobia has a connection to feeling insecure over a lack of control. Within an unknown physical location, an agoraphobic can become exceptionally afraid over the possibility of coming to some type of harm. The person with agoraphobia fixates then on the possibility of danger in unfamiliar settings, and this fixation leads to elevated anxiety and even panic. While agoraphobics may have panic attacks, it is the focus on unfamiliar environments triggering panic that defines their condition. The person with agoraphobia may only show panic in unknown physical settings in other words, where the person with genuine panic disorder can experience a full-blown panic attack at any time.

People with a generalized panic condition may confine themselves, as the agoraphobic does, but this confinement for the person with generalized anxiety is not necessarily a solution to ending panic as it may be for the agoraphobic. People with agoraphobia are distinct from socially anxious people as well since the agoraphobic's discomfort isn't with people per se but with unfamiliar settings. And once again, a person with agoraphobia is able to comfortably interact with others inside of a comfort zone.

The person with agoraphobia can be in a confounding position, both for themselves and for the people who care about them. Some persons with extreme agoraphobia have been known to confine themselves to a perceived comfort zone for literally years on end. At its core, agoraphobia is an anxious condition, and though anxiety can be extremely painful and damaging, it is a highly treatable state. So it is with agoraphobia: with proper treatment, agoraphobia can be completely overcome and the agoraphobic can lead a normal existence that’s free of worry and fear.