Agoraphobia and It’s Relationship to Panic Attacks

Agoraphobia and It’s Relationship to Panic Attacks

With 5% of the American population suffering from panic attacks one out of three of those sufferers will develop agoraphobia. This disorder is essentially the fear of open spaces, public places, and/or crowded places.

Many times the sufferer will become so worried about the potential of having a panic attack at a place or time that would be intolerable that he decides staying home is a safer option. This can result in a person becoming a virtual prisoner in his own home.

Stress or high anxiety is thought to be the cause of panic attacks. These attacks occur without warning and cause the sufferer to feel intense fear and a sense of dread. Outward reactions to this internal stimulus vary.

Some people seem to ‘lose it’ and others are better at masking the emotional turmoil they are experiencing. But most have extreme feelings of wanting to escape, and some complain that they fear they are dying or going crazy.

Obviously it would be difficult to manage such emotions and keep a calm demeanor. These sufferers become terrified that they will suffer an attack and behave inappropriately at the worst time.

That is how the cycle begins; a fear (related to the panic attack itself), the body responds, eventually the person is able to determine which places or situations seem to provoke the anxiety attacks, so will tend to avoid such situations.

For some sufferers this can mean eliminating most things from their life that cannot be done within the confines of their home. Sadly some people will remain almost completely housebound for years before discovering that there are techniques available that can relieve this disorder. Click on any link in this blog for more information.