Agoraphobia is being afraid to be in certain situation, where an individual finds it difficult to escape or individuals fear that no help will be available if anything goes wrong. An individual suffering from this condition is afraid of visiting shopping malls, travelling by public transport or even leaving their homes. It is basically defined as the anxiety disorder, where you are afraid of certain places and often avoid the situations, which may cause panic or feel helpless, embarrassed or trapped. People suffering from disorder often fear to be amidst the crowd. They find no way to escape once the anxiety intensifies. They don’t feel safe amidst the crowd. They often fear an anticipated situation. The fear may intensify to such an extent that the individual may feel it very difficult to even leave their homes. The treatment is indeed challenging.

Causes of Agoraphobia

This anxiety disorder is a complication related to the panic disorders. Due to several panic attacks as well as the feeling of too much fear with situations and places, this situation may arise. However, there are some individuals, who develop this disorder from fear associated with issues like the fear of terrorism, crime, illness or facing an accident. These may be genetic as well. And, some traumatic events like bereavement may also result in agoraphobia.

Major Symptoms of Agoraphobia

The severity of the disorder may vary among the individuals.

The symptoms are generally divided into 3 groups:

1. Physical
2. Behavioural
3. Cognitive

The physical symptoms of agoraphobia are the following:

• Rapid breathing
• Rapid heartbeat
• Excessive sweating
• Feeling too much hot
• Feeling sick
• Tingling sensation and numbness
• Pain in the chest
• Dizziness or light-headedness
• Chills and sudden flushes
• Diarrhoea
• Upset stomach
• Fear of death
• Losing control