QUESTION: What is agoraphobia? Can it be successfully treated?
ANSWER: A person with agoraphobia suffers from undue anxiety that interferes with the usual activities of daily living.
It is more common in women than men.
The most frequent description of the person with agoraphobia is that she is most afraid of fear itself.
The symptoms of fear are especially upsetting to the agoraphobic. Some experts estimate that between 3 and 6 percent of Americans suffer from this problem, and 75 percent of agoraphobics are women.
Most of the time, agoraphobia first shows symptoms in late adolescence or early adulthood. A common symptom is panic attacks, during which the agoraphobic becomes very agitated, feeling quite certain that she is going to die.
In the panic attack, the symptoms of fear are magnified, and the patient feels her heart race, her breathing increase, and her body feel out of control.
The panic attack is often the problem that first brings the patient to the attention of the physician. Physical complaints are a common problem to agoraphobics for several reasons.
Sometimes, they focus their anxiety on their bodies.
They know the symptoms of fear are very real, and they may see a physician because of the symptoms of increased heart rate and hyperventilation.
Another reason for many physical complaints may be because they find it easier to see a physician for a physical problem than for an emotional one.
The astute physician may hear the unvoiced problem one of anxiety and treat it instead of the perceived physical problem. This is tricky for the physician, because the physical problems may or may not be real, and the patient may not be able to recognize the emotional component of her physical complaints.
Unchecked anxiety can in fact cause physical problems, and physical problems can cause anxiety.
It is important for the physician to sort through the sometimes confusing situation and establish trust with the patient so that effective communication occurs.
In this way, the real root of the problems can be discovered and treated. Sometimes an agoraphobic patient goes to many different physicians, and this complicates diagnosis and treatment.
If a doctor does not see the patient regularly and for all complaints, the pattern of anxiety may not be identified. You ask whether there is a successful treatment for agoraphobia.
Some physicians prescribe medications alone, but this is rarely effective without therapy.
Antidepressant medications in combination with counseling that involves a spouse or other family member is most effective.
The most important part of the therapy involves gently exposing the agoraphobic to situations she finds frightening, and supporting her while she finds that the situations hold no real danger for her.
The best results are obtained when spouses are included in the therapy, and even better results are achieved when several agoraphobics from the same neighborhood or social group are treated together.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
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