Treatment for Agoraphobia
In this article I’m going to describe what agoraphobia is, the options available to those with the condition, and the agoraphobia treatment which I found to be very effective.
The condition is one of the symptoms associated with anxiety and panic disorder and treatment for agoraphobia usually takes place as part of a general anxiety or panic disorder treatment.
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It usually comes about as panic attack sufferers begin to alter their behavior so as to keep themselves out of situations where they might have a panic attack in a very public place. Agoraphobia is generally defined as a fear of open spaces or fear of crowds and having no control of surroundings. In the most extreme cases sufferers will not be able to leave their home.
Agoraphobia sufferers tend to be at an increased risk of experiencing sudden panic attacks when they are in a place where they perceive they are out of control, such as shopping malls, large sporting events, or even stuck in traffic.
Panic attacks manifest themselves as a sudden episode of extreme terror where the sufferer is actually in no real danger. The sufferer experiences an uncontrollable release of adrenalin, which manifests itself as an intense fight-or-flight response in the brain. The symptoms are so severe that sufferers often experience a feeling that they’re going to die or lose control and go insane.
Treatment for agoraphobia comes in several forms. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most popular treatment, in the form of de-sensitization, where the sufferer ‘takes on’ the agoraphobia by deliberately placing themselves in situations where they are likely to experience the symptoms.
Agoraphobia can also be treated pharmaceutically. Typically the condition is medicated with anti-depressants from the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). Typically medication is prescribed in tandem with CBT.
Self help is also a very good option, and it is the way I cured my anxiety and panic disorder a few years ago. There are many self-help programs online nowadays and there is a link to the one I used at the bottom of the page. The programs usually feature an associated member forum, where you can talk to other current and former sufferers. A critical part of agoraphobia treatment is being able to rely on support groups. It is very re-assuring to read the stories of fellow sufferers who have experienced exactly what you’re going through and managed to overcome the condition.
In fact, when I first came across the self-help program I used I found that my general anxiety levels dropped even by just reading the success stories of other people who had used it.
After browsing their forum I got into the material, which was written by a former anxiety sufferer and agoraphobic Barry McDonagh, who researched and designed the whole course when he couldn’t find anything that suited his needs online. The 21-7 technique which he developed, for ending a panic attack in 21 seconds and reducing general anxiety levels in 7 minutes is a great tool to be armed with when you’re taking your tentative first steps back into the world as an agoraphobia sufferer.
As time goes by, you’ll notice that your episodes of anxiety or panic when in public or open places become less and less severe and you’ll simply saying to yourself ‘remember, you’re in no danger’ when you feel the anxiety coming on will be enough to get you back on the level and feeling good again.