Agoraphobia is a word that is an English adoption of the Greek words agora and phobos.  When literally translated it becomes “a fear of the marketplace”. 

For sufferers of Agoraphobia there is an intense anxiety surrounding places from which there is no escape or from which escape would be an embarrassing ordeal. This may be due to a fear of panic and panic attacks. Because of this anxiety many people suffering from Agoraphobia choose to go only to a select few places that they find safe.  While the severity varies, some sufferers may end up staying in the safety of their own home.  Others feel most comfortable going places with a safe person.  Most times tunnels, elevators, bridges, cars, buses, highways and crowded places are avoided as they provide little escape.

Agoraphobia goes hand in hand with panic attacks and almost always occurs with an initial panic disorder diagnosis.  3.2 Million Americans ages 18 – 54 are currently facing Agoraphobia.  Agoraphobia is twice as common with women as with men although the reasons for this are unknown.  Agoraphobia typically shows up in early adulthood.

 At times a person with Agoraphobia may have trouble receiving treatment due to the need to stay in a safe place, therefore not making or keeping therapy appointments.  This is an important fact to address when and if a person should seek help.  Fortunately help is available for those suffering.  Agoraphobia can be successfully treated in many cases through a gradual process of “graduated exposure therapy” combined with “cognitive therapy”. 

Cognitive therapy is one of the most widely used forms of therapy available today. During cognitive therapy a patient comes to recognize unhelpful patterns of thinking or reacting and then replaces them with helpful thoughts or reactions. 

Graduated Exposure Therapy is also known as “Systematic Desensitization”.  The first step of Systematic Desensitization is to learn relaxation skills in order to control the intense anxiety one feels.  Once a person has the relaxation skills down and is better able to control their fear they will be gradually exposed to the feared outcome. The idea is that a patient will come to realize that nothing bad will happen and the fear will be eliminated.  This is, of course, a process that takes time and does not happen overnight.  A doctor may also prescribe an anti-anxiety medication or an antidepressant to aid in treatment.  The first step is to talk to a trained professional and seek help.