Agoraphobia Research Paper
AGORAPHOBIA Definition: A morbid fear of open spaces/public places
The word “agoraphobia” comes from two Greek words that mean “fear” and “marketplace”. The anxiety associated with agoraphobia leads to avoidance of situations that involve being outside one’s home alone, being in crowds, being on a bridge, or traveling by car or public transportation. Agoraphobia may intensify to the point that it interferes with a person’s ability to take a job outside the home or to carry out such ordinary errands and activities as picking up groceries or going out to a movie.
People with agoraphobia appear to suffer from two distinct types of anxiety. Panic, and the anticipatory anxiety related to fear of future panic attacks. Patients
with agoraphobia are sometimes able to endure being in the situations they fear by “gritting their teeth”, or by having a friend or relative accompany them
The symptoms of agoraphobia can be similar to those of specific phobia and social phobia. In agoraphobia and specific phobia, the focus is fear itself; with social phobia, the person’s focus is on how others are perceiving him/her. Patients diagnosed with agoraphobia tend to be more afraid of their own internal physical sensations and similar cues than of the reactions of others perse. In cases of specic phobia, the person fears very specific situations, whereas in agoraphobia, the person generally fears a variety of fears (being outside of home alone, or traveling on public transportation.
Differential diagnosis of agoraphobia “can be difficult because of all these conditions are characterized by avoidance of specific situations.
CAUSES
* Genetic: It has been known that for some years that anxiety disorders tend to run in families. * Innate Temperament: A number of researchers have pointed to inborn temperament as a broad vulnerability factor in the development of anxiety and mood disorders. * Physiological Reaction to Illness: Another factor in the development of agoraphobia appears to be a history of respiratory disease. * Life events: About 42% of patients diagnosed with agoraphobia reports history of real or feared separation from their parents or other caretakers in childhood. * Learned Behavior: These are also theories about human learning that explain agoraphobia.
Social Factors Related To Gender: Gender role socialization has been suggested and as explanation for the fact that the majority of patients with agoraphobia are women. One form of this hypothesis maintains that some parents still teach girls to be fearful and timid about venturing out in public.
SYMPTOMS * Trembling * Breaking out in a sweat * Heart palpitations * Paresthesias ( Tingling or “pins and needles” sensation in the hands or feet) * Nausea * Fatigue * Rapid pulse or breath rate * A sense of impending doom
In most cases, the person with agoraphobia feels some relief from the symptoms after he or she has left the precipitating situation or returned home.
TREATMENTS
Treatment of agoraphobia usually consists of medication plus cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) The physicians may also recommend an alternative form of treatment for the anxiety symptoms associated with agoraphobia. Some patients may be advised to cut down on or give up coffee or tea, as the caffeine in these beverages can be contributed to their panic symptoms.
Medications that have been used with patients with agoraphobia include benzodiazepine tranquliers, the MAO inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) and the selective serotonin uptake inhibitors, or SSRI’s. In the past few years, the SSRIs have come to be regarded as the first choice medication treatment because they have fewer side effects.
The word “agoraphobia” comes from two Greek words that mean “fear” and “marketplace”. The anxiety associated with agoraphobia leads to avoidance of situations that involve being outside one’s home alone, being in crowds, being on a bridge, or traveling by car or public transportation. Agoraphobia may intensify to the point that it interferes with a person’s ability to take a job outside the home or to carry out such ordinary errands and activities as picking up groceries or going out to a movie.
People with agoraphobia appear to suffer from two distinct types of anxiety. Panic, and the anticipatory anxiety related to fear of future panic attacks. Patients
with agoraphobia are sometimes able to endure being in the situations they fear by “gritting their teeth”, or by having a friend or relative accompany them
The symptoms of agoraphobia can be similar to those of specific phobia and social phobia. In agoraphobia and specific phobia, the focus is fear itself; with social phobia, the person’s focus is on how others are perceiving him/her. Patients diagnosed with agoraphobia tend to be more afraid of their own internal physical sensations and similar cues than of the reactions of others perse. In cases of specic phobia, the person fears very specific situations, whereas in agoraphobia, the person generally fears a variety of fears (being outside of home alone, or traveling on public transportation.
Differential diagnosis of agoraphobia “can be difficult because of all these conditions are characterized by avoidance of specific situations.
CAUSES
* Genetic: It has been known that for some years that anxiety disorders tend to run in families. * Innate Temperament: A number of researchers have pointed to inborn temperament as a broad vulnerability factor in the development of anxiety and mood disorders. * Physiological Reaction to Illness: Another factor in the development of agoraphobia appears to be a history of respiratory disease. * Life events: About 42% of patients diagnosed with agoraphobia reports history of real or feared separation from their parents or other caretakers in childhood. * Learned Behavior: These are also theories about human learning that explain agoraphobia.
Social Factors Related To Gender: Gender role socialization has been suggested and as explanation for the fact that the majority of patients with agoraphobia are women. One form of this hypothesis maintains that some parents still teach girls to be fearful and timid about venturing out in public.
SYMPTOMS * Trembling * Breaking out in a sweat * Heart palpitations * Paresthesias ( Tingling or “pins and needles” sensation in the hands or feet) * Nausea * Fatigue * Rapid pulse or breath rate * A sense of impending doom
In most cases, the person with agoraphobia feels some relief from the symptoms after he or she has left the precipitating situation or returned home.
TREATMENTS
Treatment of agoraphobia usually consists of medication plus cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) The physicians may also recommend an alternative form of treatment for the anxiety symptoms associated with agoraphobia. Some patients may be advised to cut down on or give up coffee or tea, as the caffeine in these beverages can be contributed to their panic symptoms.
Medications that have been used with patients with agoraphobia include benzodiazepine tranquliers, the MAO inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) and the selective serotonin uptake inhibitors, or SSRI’s. In the past few years, the SSRIs have come to be regarded as the first choice medication treatment because they have fewer side effects.