Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia: Introduction

Agoraphobia is often called "fear of open spaces" but this description is simplistic and misleading. Agoraphobia is like an unreasonable fear or anxiety associated with unfamiliar surroundings or situations, but this description also oversimplifies a complex issue.

In some cases, agoraphobia arises associated with panic attacks from panic disorder, and the fear of places or situations occurs when these were the triggers of the panic attacks. In other words, agoraphobia becomes like a "fear of having another panic attack" or a fear of anything or anywhere that might trigger a panic attack. A vicious cycle sets in where anxiety or fear of certain places or situations make a panic attack more likely to occur, which in turn raises the anxiety level.

Whatever its description, agoraphobia can be not only emotionally stressing, it can actually become debilitating, leading to a life of self-imposed isolation.

Symptoms of Agoraphobia

• Fear of crowds
• Fear of public transport
• Restriction to the home or neighbourhood
• Social isolation
• Unable to leave home alone
• more symptoms...»

See full list of 6 symptoms of Agoraphobia

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Agoraphobia:

• Child Behavior: Home Testing
  • ADHD -- Home Test Kits
  • Concentration -- Home Testing
• Mental Health (Adults): Home Testing
  • Adult ADHD -- Home Testing
  • Concentration -- Home Tests
• Mental Health: Home Testing:
  • Home Emotional Stress Tests
  • ADHD -- Home Testing
  • Concentration -- Home Test Kits
• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Related Home Testing:
  • ADHD -- Home Tests
  • Drug Screening Kits
• more tests...»

Medical Textbooks Online about Agoraphobia

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Agoraphobia?

• Misdiagnosis of Agoraphobia
• Failure to diagnose Agoraphobia
• Hidden causes of Agoraphobia (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Undiagnosed: Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia: Self Assessment Tools

• Stress -- Self Assessment Tools
• Depression -- Self Assessment Tools
• Weight Management -- Self Assessment Tools
• Mental Health -- Self Assessment Tools
• more tools...»

Agoraphobia: Medical Mistakes

• Concentration -- Health Mistakes
• ADHD -- Health Mistakes
• ADHD (Adults) -- Health Mistakes
• Depression -- Health Mistakes
• Bipolar -- Health Mistakes
• Sleep Disorders -- Health Mistakes
• more mistakes...»

Agoraphobia: Undiagnosed Conditions

Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Undiagnosed:
  • Adult ADHD -- Undiagnosed - Often remains undiagnosed through to adulthood.
  • ADHD -- Undiagnosed
  • Alzheimer Disease -- Undiagnosed
  • Migraine -- Undiagnosed
  • Concentration Disorders -- Undiagnosed
  • Stroke -- Undiagnosed
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Undiagnosed
  • Schizophrenia -- Undiagnosed
  • Epilepsy -- Undiagnosed
• more undiagnosed conditions...»

Misdiagnosis and Agoraphobia

Common asymptomatic heart disorder can cause anxiety-like conditions: Anxiety symptoms may be due to heart disorder - There is a reasonably common heart disorder called Mitral...read more »

Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness because he suffered from sudden...read more »

Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for a patient to show mental decline to dementia. Whereas this can, of course, occur...read more »

ADHD under-diagnosed in adults: Although the over-diagnoses of ADHD in children is a well-known controversy, the reverse side related to adults...read more »

Bipolar disorder misdiagosed as various conditions by primary physicians: Bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder) often fails to be diagnosed correctly by primary care physicians. Many patients with...read more »

Eating disorders under-diagnosed in men: The typical patient with an eating disorder is female. The result is that men with eating disorders often fail to be diagnosed or have a delayed diagnosis. See misdiagnosis of...read more »

Depression undiagnosed in teenagers: Serious bouts of depression can be undiagnosed in teenagers. The "normal" moodiness of teenagers can cause severe medical depression to be overlooked. See misdiagnosis of depression or ...read more »

Undiagnosed anxiety disorders related to depression: Patients with depression (see symptoms of depression) may also have undiagnosed anxiety disorders (see ...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia: Research Doctors & Specialists

Research related physicians and medical specialists:

• Mental Health Specialists:
  • Psychiatry (Mental Health)
  • Addiction Psychiatry
  • Geriatric Psychiatry (Seniors Mental Health)
  • Pediatric / Adolescent Psychiatry (Child/Teen Mental Health)
  • Pediatric Developmental Behavioral Health (Child Behavior Specialist)
  • Psychosomatic Medicine
  • Forensic Psychiatry
• more specialists...»

Other doctor, physician and specialist research services:

• Rate Your Doctor Online
• Research Your Doctor Online
• Review Patient Surveys About Your Doctor
• Research local specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.

Hospitals & Clinics: Agoraphobia

Research quality ratings and patient safety measures for medical facilities in specialties related to Agoraphobia:

• Mental Health -- Hospital Quality Ratings
• more hospital ratings...»

Hospital & Clinic quality ratings » »

Choosing the Best Hospital: More general information, not necessarily in relation to Agoraphobia, on hospital performance and surgical care quality:

• 50 Best Hospitals Report
• Outstanding Patient Experinece Award Winning Hospitals
• Women's Health Best Hospitals
• Patient Safety
• Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence Study (2009)

Agoraphobia: Rare Types

Rare types of diseases and disorders in related medical categories:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Rare Types:
  • Adult ADHD -- Rare Types
  • ADHD -- Rare Types
  • Alzheimer Disease -- Rare Types
  • Migraine -- Rare Types
  • Concentration Disorders -- Rare Types
  • Stroke -- Rare Types
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Rare Types
  • Schizophrenia -- Rare Types
  • Epilepsy -- Rare Types
• more rare diseases...»

Causes of Agoraphobia

• Panic disorder
• Panic disorder with agoraphobia (type of Panic disorder)
• Asthma
• Bereavement
• Divorce
• more causes...»

See full list of 18 causes of Agoraphobia

More information about causes of Agoraphobia:

• Underlying causes of Agoraphobia
• Agoraphobia as a complication caused by other conditions
• Agoraphobia as a symptom

Treatments for Agoraphobia

• Psychotherapy
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
  • Behavioral therapy
  • Breathing exercises
  • Interoceptive exposure
• more treatments...»

See full list of 7 treatments for Agoraphobia

News Archives for Agoraphobia

Medical news articles related to Agoraphobia include:

• Opening Arteries With Drug-Coated Stents OK Over 70
• FDA to Study Ways to Be More Open With Public
• Window for Stroke Treatment Opens Wider
• Drug-Coated Stents Better at Keeping Arteries Open
• Statins May Help Before Artery-Opening Surgery
• Kids Who Live Near Green Spaces Seem to Walk More
• Fear of Pain Drives Requests for Assisted Death
• Terror Fears Tougher on Minorities, Disabled
• more health news...»

Source: HealthDay News

Videos for Agoraphobia

Patient Surveys for Agoraphobia

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Agoraphobia
  Take Survey  View Results

Reseach about Agoraphobia

Visit our research pages for current research about Agoraphobia treatments.

Clinical Trials for Agoraphobia

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Agoraphobia include:

• Study of Virtual Reality Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Panic Disorder With Agoraphobia - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Pilot Study of Vestibular Rehabilitation Training for Panic Disorder With Vestibular Dysfunction - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Can Thought Field Therapy (TFT) Be Helpful for Patients With an Anxiety Disorder? - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Sertraline in Generalized Social Phobia With Co-Occurring Anxiety and Mood Disorders - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Sertraline
• Treatment of Panic Disorder: Long Term Strategies - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Paroxetine or other medication - algorithm used
• more trials...»

See full list of 7 Clinical Trials for Agoraphobia

Statistics for Agoraphobia

• Medical statistics for Agoraphobia
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Agoraphobia
• Death and Mortality statistics for Agoraphobia
• Society statistics for Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia: Broader Related Topics

• Phobias
• Specific phobias
• Mental illness
• more types...»

Types of Agoraphobia

Stories from Users Related to Agoraphobia

• Fearful of starting my family until helped. Please!
• living with immense fear, practically lost will to live
• agoraphobia/panic disorder
• I'm fearing for my life.. WHATS WRONG WITH ME!?
• Fear....
• Fear of Doctor. Need help with diagnosis
• Fearful !
• Agoraphobia
• Open sores
• Lightheaded/Spaced out
• Leukaemia Fears (petechiae)
• Fearful!!
• Can't eat without fear... PLEASE help!!
• Fearing death is near, need advice.
• Fear of being watched.
• be open minded
• open sores not healing?
• Fearful!!
• Fearful!!

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Agoraphobia, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Agoraphobia

Panic Disorder: NWHIC (Excerpt)

Some people’s lives become greatly restricted -- they avoid normal everyday activities such as grocery shopping, driving, or, in some cases, even leaving the house. Or they may be able to confront a feared situation only if accompanied by a spouse or other trusted person. Basically, they avoid any situation they fear that would make them feel helpless if a panic attack occurs. When people’s lives become so restricted by the disorder, as happens in about one-third of all people with panic disorder, the condition is called agoraphobia. (Source: excerpt from Panic Disorder: NWHIC)

Phobia: NWHIC (Excerpt)

And agoraphobia, which often accompanies panic disorder, is a fear of being in any situation that might provoke a panic attack, or from which escape might be difficult if one occurred. (Source: excerpt from Phobia: NWHIC)

Definitions of Agoraphobia:

A morbid fear of open spaces (as fear of being caught alone in some public place) - (Source - WordNet 2.1)