Agoraphobia is a distinct type of anxiety that's characterised by people experiencing overwhelming anxiety, including the fear that they'll have a panic attack in a location they feel they can't escape from, or where they can't get help.
People who suffer from agoraphobia tend to become highly anxious in unfamiliar environments where they feel like they have little or no control, for example, in crowds, wide open spaces or when travelling.
The symptoms of agoraphobia occur when the person is in an environment where they feel outside of their comfort zone. This causes people to identify situations where they aren't comfortable and either endure these with marked anxiety, fear and distress, or go to extreme lengths to avoid such environments. This can often lead to social withdrawal and other associated problems.
The majority of people with agoraphobia tend to be diagnosed with this condition as a result of having repeated panic attacks.
Agoraphobia can cause a wide range of symptoms. The most common symptoms of agoraphobia to look out for include:
As is the case for many mental health conditions, it's hard to identify a single cause for agoraphobia. Research shows that it's likely that there are a number of factors that may increase someone likelihood of developing this condition. These include:
Research also suggests that agoraphobia is more common in people who have difficulties in spatial awareness. Most people are able to combine their balance and sense of space with their visual system, and integrate that information with the positioning of parts of their body. However, some people with agoraphobia have been found to have a weakened system of balance and space, causing them to rely on visual or tactile signals. As a result, they become disorientated in wide open spaces because visual cues aren't as clear, or they can become overwhelmed in crowded environments.
Below are some tips that you can use to help you better manage and cope with agoraphobia symptoms:
Our expert treatment teams at Priory have lots of clinical expertise and experience when it comes to treating agoraphobia. We can deliver a range of therapeutic techniques to help you tackle your agoraphobia symptoms. We ensure that all treatment is tailored to you, in order to produce the best possible outcomes for you as an individual.
Our highly therapeutic, compassionate and supportive treatment environments provide you with the ideal setting to address your challenges, develop healthy coping mechanisms, and achieve recovery.
It's important to recognise that without specialist support, your agoraphobia may get worse over time and can continue to have a negative impact on numerous areas of your life. It can affect your relationships with others, your performance at work or school, and your ability to function effectively on a day-to-day basis.
While getting help can be daunting, it's the most crucial step you can take to overcome your agoraphobia and regain control of your life.
Our specialist treatment teams will teach you effective coping mechanisms to help you to manage agoraphobia, understand the underlying causes of your challenges, gain increased self-awareness, and return to a positive way of life.
We can deliver agoraphobia treatment in an outpatient, day care or inpatient capacity, depending on the intensity of the support you need.
In addition, our national network of specialist hospitals and wellbeing centres means we can offer you the support you need in a location that's convenient for you, and in a way that can be flexible around your existing commitments.
