Agoraphobia

Written by Bedirhan Atabay

Considering the damage of mental disorders on an average man, the changes in the human body’s nature are easy to see. Biological changes can be seen all over the body due to disorders since they affect our brains. One of those disorders is Agoraphobia, and it can be explained as the fear of being in dangerous situations that escaping from would be problematic and the help that the patient can possibly get would be limited. Understanding the content of this disorder is pretty prominent to obstruct the damages; therefore, we are first going to cover the topic of Agoraphobia, its damages, and finally the ways it is treated in several steps.

1-The Greatest Problem: Misunderstanding Agoraphobia

Many people misunderstand the context of Agoraphobia as simply being the Fear of Open Spaces according to many. However, Agoraphobia is a far more complex disorder than this, and looking at it this way is nothing good. Another mistake that is commonly made is to try to fight against Agoraphobia instead of working on it, and this ends up having rather bad effects than good. In fact, looking at it this way ends up with the disorder arising as a common problem, and ending up with much damage to the patient (1,6).

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2-Damages of Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia damages many people due to many reasons such as struggling to use public transportation and being scared to visit the shopping centers (1). Even worse than the first two, Agoraphobia can lead to complete isolation as the patient is struggling to leave his home. All of those three damages can be pretty damaging to the patient’s social life, and make forming communication lines with new people more difficult for them (1).

All of those damages can be seen at some point. However, the long-term damage of it is making all social activities out of reach (2). These examples prove to us the importance of properly treating this ailment, and the possible results if the required treatments are not given to the patient; therefore, the priority of those treatments is pretty high.

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3. Ways of Treatment

These damages prove to us the damages of Agoraphobia and the priority of the treatments. If the severity of Agoraphobia is high, then medications start to become a key treatment method to reduce and cure the effects of this ailment. The most commonly seen medication out there is the usage of SSRIs. SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are not just used in the treatments of Agoraphobia, but it is also used in Anxiety and Depression treatments. Medications like this are sometimes used together with other treatment methods (3). One of the aforementioned treatment methods is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT has a high possibility to cure Agoraphobia; therefore, is pretty effective. This therapy goes on for 8 to 12 weeks in most situations. Psychoeducation is provided by the CBT therapists to understand the patient’s feelings in this therapy (3). Another treatment method that is commonly used is Applied Relaxation. Applied Relaxation is a treatment method, that requires the patient to calm down by using various exercises such as relaxing the muscles and spotting the tension causes. Those treatments can be pretty effective to solve this problem, as we have already been reminded of the importance of these treatments several times before (3).

Conclusion

The aforementioned damages can have pretty big damages on the patient, and those damages might be even worse if the required treatments are not taken. Various treatments can be pretty effective to reduce those damages briefly and end up with the patient regaining his sanity. Regarding those issues, the existence of these issues is our priority to solve. Therefore, more attention must be directed to this disorder, and one thing must not be forgotten: As awareness rises, the patient number decreases.

References:

1. NHS. (n.d.). Overview - Agoraphobia. NHS choices. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/agoraphobia/overview/.

2. Department of Health & Human Services. (2007, October 9). Agoraphobia. Better Health Channel. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/agoraphobia.

3. NHS. (n.d.). Treatment - Agoraphobia. NHS choices. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/agoraphobia/treatment/.

4. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2023, January 7). Agoraphobia. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/agoraphobia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355993.

5. Alyssa. (2021, August 17). How long does agoraphobia last?: Banyan Mental Health. Mental Health Program at Banyan Treatment Centers. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.banyanmentalhealth.com/2021/08/16/agoraphobia-and-how-long-it-last/.

6. Carbonell, D. (n.d.). Agoraphobia treatment: Beat the fear habit. Agoraphobia Treatment: Beat the Fear Habit. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://www.anxietycoach.com/agoraphobiatreatment.html.