Talk:Agoraphobia
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Is claustrophobia a close (not total) opposite of this? If not, is there a "lonliness-phobia"? --Menchi 23:23, Jul 31, 2003 (UTC)
Lonliness-phobia exists - 'monophobia'. wildeep
There seems to be some confusion between agoraphobia and social anxiety disorder here.... Agoraphobia has to do only with fear of wide-open spaces, populated or not. RoseParks 20:55, 11 Jun 2004 (UTC)
-- agoraphobia is not at all 'only' a fear of 'wide-open spaces'. Despite it's common definition as a 'fear of open spaces' it is in fact very rarely such a fear. In fact it's etymology ('fear of the market place') is far more accurate. It is normally peopled spaces that are feared, but it is entirely distinct from social anxiety disorder because it is the spatial setting as well as the people that are usually feared. Some common examples of the manifestation of this fear are: being 'trapped' in a public space (e.g. in a queue), or being in an unfamiliarpublic space (in contrast to one's familiar 'safety zone').
Agoraphobia is a disorder where patients fear the anxiety or panic experienced when staying outside one's safe zone. The practical effect is that a patient has trouble venturing outside one's own house. --MegaHasher 08:06, 7 February 2006 (UTC)
- I'm so confused about this. I have a mild fear of open spaces, but it has nothing to do with crowds. Is this agoraphobia? If anything, a crowded open space would make me feel closed in, which is the opposite. Basically, my fear involves being in a large open area alone or with very few people. It's definitely a spacial thing, so I don't think it's monophobia, but it really doesn't have anything to do with a "safety-zone", just the actual idea of not being enclosed.
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[edit] Is Agoraphobia an illness?
Agoraphobia is an established mental illness diagnosis, recognized by National Institute of Mental Health, so I guess this point is not disputable, regardless of the "Liotti" reference. I am inclined to delete this paragraph. -MegaHasher 01:01, 24 February 2006 (UTC)
I raised the 'is agoraphobia an illness' issue. Although I devoted basically no time to developing this section there is definitely a case for its reinstatement. Being an established mental illness diagnosis doesn't qualify it as an illness becuase it means nothing. DSM-IV - the most widely read mental health manual in the world - defines agoraphobia as a 'fear of open spaces' which is broadly at variance with what people 'with' what they understand as 'agoraphobia' expereince. In other words the medical world has a fairly poor understanding of what agoraphobia is. wildeep 5/5/06
As someone with lifelong agoraphobia, I have a little insight on this. Logically speaking, whether or not the medical community understands what agoraphobia is--and admittedly, it is not "a fear of open spaces"--or defines it properly, does not change whether it is a legitimate illness or not. The medical community in the past, after all, did not understand epilepsy either, often thinking it was some form of demon possession, but that does not change the fact that epilepsy has always been a medical illness. The fact that agoraphobia often presents with panic attack disorder, and actual physiological changes take place during attacks, gives further evidence that it, too, is an illness. It sounds as though we are looking at things backwords here. The point of medical and psychological science--as is the case with any science--is to observe phenomena and try to explain it. Just because we do not yet have an explanation for something does not make any difference to its legitimacy.
[edit] Large Percentage of Agoraphobics are Female
It has been the case, in the past, that the majority of agoraphobics are female.
In males, agoraphobia is usually expressed somewhat differently. While few men are confined to their homes, they may be confined to their home towns; they suffer panic attacks when they leave their, say, city of residence.
If one attributes the cause of some agoraphobia to overprotective parents, this makes perfect sense.
Looking at these two ideas together, one can see why Agoraphobia has been referred to as the "hidden" diease. Some housewives can function very well as long as they are at home. Once their children are old enough to do many of the "outside" chores, the mothers' affliction is hard to detect outside the family.
The ancient term agoraphobia is translated from Greek as fear of an open marketplace. Agoraphobia today describes severe and pervasive anxiety about being in situations from which escape might be difficult or avoidance of situations such as being alone outside of the home, traveling in a car, bus, or airplane, or being in a crowded area (DSM-IV).
Most people who present to mental health specialists develop agoraphobia after the onset of panic disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 1998). Agoraphobia is best understood as an adverse behavioral outcome of repeated panic attacks and the subsequent worry, preoccupation, and avoidance (Barlow, 1988). Thus, the formal diagnosis of panic disorder with agoraphobia was established. However, for those people in communities or clinical settings who do not meet full criteria for panic disorder, the formal diagnosis of agoraphobia without history of panic disorder is used (DSM-IV).
The 1-year prevalence of agoraphobia is about 5 percent (Table 4-1). Agoraphobia occurs about two times more commonly among women than men (Magee et al., 1996). The gender difference may be attributable to social-cultural factors that encourage, or permit, the greater expression of avoidant coping strategies by women (DSM-IV), although other explanations are possible.
Other government materials:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/297_bump.html
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/numbers.cfm
-MegaHasher 06:56, 5 March 2006 (UTC)
Prevelance
- two times more common in women is a massive underestimate at least of reported cases of agoraphobia. 70 - 90% is more accurate.
Is Agoraphobia a Women’s Disease?
Agoraphobia has been referred to as a “women’s disease.” Approximately four times as many women are diagnosed with agoraphobia than men. This, however, does not mean that an equal number of men are not experiencing the anxiety symptoms of agoraphobia. A number of potential reasons for the greater number of agoraphobia diagnoses among women are currently being explored in research:
• Women are more likely to engage in help-seeking behavior, therefore, more women are actually diagnosed with agoraphobia.
• Masculine sex-role stereotypes make it hard for men to openly admit feelings of anxiety.
• When men do experience the symptoms of agoraphobia they are more likely to turn to alcohol and be diagnosed as alcoholics.
• Female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) decrease during the pre-menstrual phase making it easier for women to develop conditioned anxiety responses.
• Traditional female sex roles prescribe women to react to anxiety by engaging in dependent and helpless behavior (like the behavior of an agoraphobic).
• Women are more likely to stay at home alone during the day, making them more likely to become aware and worry about unusual bodily sensations.
Research studies that have investigated reasons for the larger number of females with agoraphobia have not produced a clear explanation. While there are some convincing studies to support each of the above explanations, there are equally convincing studies that don’t. Explaining the gender gap in the diagnosis of agoraphobia is an area in need of further research.
Information source: Bekker, M. H. (1996), Agoraphobia and Gender: A Review; Clinical Psychology Review, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp.128-146.
For more information on agoraphobia visit: http://www.agoraphobia.ws
I think my Agoraphobia Resource Center site at the above Web address would be useful to people looking for information on agoraphobia. I am a recovered agoraphobic with a master's degree in psychology who wants to provide educational information on agoraphobia for people on the Internet. May I request a link under "external links" on the main page for agoraphobia?
--saprice 8:47, October 4, 2006.
its true
agraphobia is actually true because i suffer from it myself i go to school and try to do my best at goin into lessons and stuff i am doin ok at the moment but i have recently had a meetining with my mum and the education welfare officer about my addendence in school. now i only cant stand goin into 3 lessons. when i walk into a crowd of people i feel like im going to collapse because my heart is beating really fast and my face goes really red so i roll my sleaves up and walk outside or some where away from the crowd i also hate sitting in a circle with people because i fell trapped and nervous and i need to get away
[edit] edits by 138.87.226.222
The edits by 138.87.226.222 on October 17th (which I reverted) drastically changed the content and layout of the article. Judging by layout alone, it appeared to violate conventional wiki article structure. If you do have improved content, refer to WP:MOS for tips on editing and laying out an article. In this case, the article already is well structured: you should use it. — EncMstr 16:26, 17 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Agroraphobia Case Study
I recently had a severe panick attack, after some recreational drug use. It was triggered by an injury (bump to my chest) that evening around my chest area which I became aware of in the early morning as I was trying to sleep (at the time I didn't know the chest injury had occurred early that day by a bump to the chest). Because of the drugs I was unable to relax and fall asleep. I started to become irrationally worried about my heart and this increased my fear. As the fear increased so did my panick symptoms. Heart rate, stress levels, confusion, worry. Within 10-20 minutes of the onset of irrational worrying about my condition... I became to have a severe panick attack and was struggling so much I felt I was having a heart attack and about to die. I struggled for some half-hour moving position lying on the floor trying to relax and compose myself but found it extremely difficult. Eventually I took some asprin to try and calm me. It worked because it somehow released my worries and I eventually fell asleep totally exhausted. The next day I awoke feeling regretful of what I did to myself (drug use). however I still had a sore chest area and felt a more heighted awareness of it from then on. A day or so later a bruise appeared to the side of my chest. A very light bruise, which I believe occurred when I bumped my chest area (the day before the panick attack).
The next few weeks I was much more aware of my chest area and started worrying I may have stressed my heart. Every time I coughed I felt sore and the worry never went away. I eventually went to see a doctor about my chest and he took my blood pressure and diagnosed the problem as muscular damage. He felt my heart was fine. However, the following week I was still always aware of my chest and the worry continued mainly because every time I coughed I felt sore in the same area of the chest.
I then went back to work after my holiday's had finished. On the first day back at work another worker told me a women that I had known, had suddenly died of a heart condition. After being told this I immediately started to worry about my own condition and decided to go and see the doctor and get a proper check up that day. After seeing the doctor he took a chest Xray and ECG and everything was found to be normal. I went back to work feeling a little better but I was still a little anxious because the symptoms were still there, i.e I was highly sensitive to my heart region. When back at work that same day, a close friend turned up unannouced and I became very anxious as I told him about my heart condition again and the check up. After he left I found it hard to relax and started having another slight panick attack. I left work telling people I didn't feel well. Too much anxiety, stress and awareness of a heart condition. After going home I became very worried and for the next few days stayed house bound trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I found it hard to sleep at nights because that was the place the first panick attack occurred. I also didn't want to go to work because that was the second place the panick attack occurred. I then went and saw the doctor again, after telling him everything including drug use the night of the first panick attack, he referred me to a clinical psychologist. At this stage I didn't realise it but I was starting to get the onset of agroraphobia. I believe agroraphobia was caused by my early two panick attacks. The Physical fatigue caused by the 2nd panick attack lead to confusion. As the mind raced to try and workout what was wrong with me. Unfortunately, this only makes the situation worse. I felt like I was not in control of my ability to control my stress anymore. It was a difficult confusing time. This is why I believe agroraphobia develops. You start to worry about losing composure and having a panick attack in places where you would usually be expected to be calm. Like sitting in the clinic waiting to see a doctor. Or in a quite place like a library. Because a person who develop panick disorder, losing confidence in their own ability to keep composure in situations they are expected to be calm. You get locked in a cycle of irrational worry -> panick disorder -> irrational worry -> panick disorder -> lose self-confidence in ability to self-control -> agroraphobia
I did develop agroraphobia after a short history of panick disorder brought on by irrational worrying I might suddenly have a heart attack.
Incidentally. This irrational worrying of a heart attack came about by own life experience. My father died of a heart attack four years ago. I also had a two young friends of the same age die of unexplained sudden heart attacks recently (both friends in their late 20's)
[edit] Manifestation of OCD
As a person with obsessive compulsive disorder, I occasionally experience agoraphobia, and so I think it is a manifestation or at least a symptom of OCD. Is this true? Le Anh-Huy 09:26, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
