Agoraphobia Essay Example for Free

Agoraphobia flush toiletvasAgoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by anxiety in situations where the sufferer perceives certain environments as dangerous or uncomfortable, often due to the environments vast openness or crowdedness. These situations include, but atomic number 18 not limited to, lawless spaces, as well as uncontrollable cordial situations such as the possibility of being met in shopping malls, airports, and on bridges. Agoraphobia is defined within the DSM-IV TR as a subset of alarm disorder, involving the upkeep of incurring a apprehension attack in those environments. In the DSM-5, however, Agoraphobia s classified as being separate to panic disorder. The sufferer may go to great lengths to avoid those situations, in severe cases becoming unable to escape their home or safe confusen. Although mostly thought to be a worry of public places, it is instantaneously believed that agoraphobia develops as a complication of panic attacks. However, th ere is evidence that the implied ane-way causal relationship between spontaneous panic attacks and agoraphobia in DSM-IV may be incorrect. Onset is usually between ages 20 and 40 years and more common in women.Approximately 3. 2 million, or about(predicate) 2. %, of adults in the US between the ages of 18 and 54, suffer from agoraphobia. Agoraphobia can account for approximately 60% of phobias. Studies have shown two several(predicate) age groups at first onset early to mid twenties, and early thirties. In response to a traumatic make upt, anxiety may interrupt the formation of memories and disrupt the learning processes, resulting in dissociation. Depersonalization and derealisation be other dissociative methods of withdrawing from anxiety.Standardized tools such as Panic and Agoraphobia Scale can be utilise to measure agoraphobia and panic attacks severity and monitor reatment. Agoraphobia is a condition where the sufferer becomes anxious in environments that are unfamiliar or where he or she perceives that they have little control. Triggers for this anxiety may include vast open spaces, crowds, or traveling . Agoraphobia is often, but not always, compounded by a fear of social embarrassment, as the agoraphobic fears the onset of a panic attack and appearing distraught in public.This is as well sometimes called social agoraphobia which may be a type of social anxiety disorder withal sometimes called social phobia. Not all agoraphobia is social n nature, however. Some agoraphobics have a fear of open spaces. Agoraphobia is also defined as a fear, sometimes terrifying, by those who have experienced one or more panic attacks. In these cases, the sufferer is fearful of a particular place because they have experienced a panic attack at the same location in a introductory time.Fearing the onset of another panic attack, the sufferer is fearful or even avoids the location. Some refuse to hand their home even in medical emergencies because the fear of bei ng outside of their comfort area is too great. The sufferer can ometimes go to great lengths to avoid the locations where they have experienced the onset of a panic attack. Agoraphobia, as described in this manner, is actually a symptom professionals check for when making a diagnosis of panic disorder.Other syndromes like obsessive compulsive disorder or post traumatic nervous strain disorder can outside can cause the syndrome. 12 It is not uncommon for agoraphobics to also suffer from improvised separation anxiety disorder when certain other individuals of the household depart from the residence temporarily, such as a parent or spouse, or when the agoraphobic is left home alone. Such temporary conditions can result in an increase in anxiety or a panic attack or feel the need to separate themselves from family or maybe friends.Another common associative disorder of agoraphobia is necrophobia, the fear of death. The anxiety level of agoraphobics often increases when dwelling upon the idea of eventually dying, which they may consciously or unconsciously associate with being the ultimate separation from their mortal emotional comfort and safety zones and loved ones, even for those who may otherwise spiritually believe in some form of divine afterlife existence. Agoraphobia occurs about twice as commonly among women as it does in men.The gender difference may be traceable to several factors social-cultural traditions that encourage, or permit, the greater expression of avoidant coping strategies by women, women perhaps being more probable to seek help and therefore be diagnosed men being more likely to abuse alcohol in reaction to anxiety and be diagnosed as an alcoholic. Research has not yet produced a ace clear explanation for the gender difference in agoraphobia. Although the exact causes of agoraphobia are currently unknown, some clinicians ho have treated or attempted to treat agoraphobia offer plausible hypotheses.The condition has been linked to the nominal head of other anxiety disorders, a stressful environment or substance abuse. Research has uncovered a linkage between agoraphobia and difficulties with spatial orientation. Individuals without agoraphobia are able to maintain balance by combining reading from their vestibular system, their visual system and their proprioceptive sense. A disproportionate number of agoraphobics have weak vestibular function and consequently rely more on visual or actile signals. They may become baffled when visual cues are sparse (as in wide open spaces) or overwhelming.Likewise, they may be impoverished by sloping or irregular surfaces. In a virtual reality study, agoraphobics showed impaired touch of changing audiovisual data in comparison with non-suffering subjects. Exposure intervention can provide relentless relief to the majority of patients with panic disorder and agoraphobia. Disappearance of residual and subclinical agoraphobic avoidance, and not evidently of panic attacks, s hould be the aim of exposure therapy. Similarly, Systematic desensitizationmay also be use. Many patients can know with exposure easier if they are in the company of a friend they can rely on. t is zippy that patients remain in the situation until anxiety has abated because if they leave the situation the phobic response will not decrease and it may even rise. Cognitive restructuring has also proved useful in treating agoraphobia. This treatment involves learn a participant through a dianoetic discussion, with the intent of replacing irrational, counterproductive beliefs with more actual and beneficial ones. Relaxation techniques are often useful skills for the agoraphobic to develop, as they can be used to stop or prevent symptoms of anxiety and panic.Anti-depressant medications most commonly used to treat anxiety disorders are mainly in the SSRI class and inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants are also commonly prescribed for treatment of agoraphobia. Antidepressants are impo rtant because some have antipanic effects. Antidepressants should be used in conjunction with exposure as a form of self-help or with cognitive behaviour therapy. Some evidence shows that a ombination of medication and cognitive behaviour therapy is the most effective treatment for agoraphobia.