Agoraphobia Definition: A Special Type of Panic Disorder

A good agoraphobia definition can help anxiety sufferers determine how to find help. The term agoraphobia literally means "a fear of open spaces." This definition is not very accurate though. Many of the situations in which agoraphobic individuals feel fear are not open spaces at all. For instance, the patient may feel panicked on a bridge or in a supermarket.

A better definition of agoraphobia is needed. Agoraphobia is an intense panic disorder that cause a person to limit his or her activities in order to avoid the possibility of feeling panic. About a third of all people who have panic disorder have it in a severe enough form to be diagnosed as having agoraphobia.

The real key is that the patient leaves home less and less frequently as time goes by. They are attempting to eliminate the possibility of a panic attack, but the fear just gets worse. These people often never know when the attack might come, so the anxiety grows from day to day.

A feeling of panic is very uncomfortable. The person has the sensation of losing control or of impending doom. If they experienced a panic attack in
a particular situation, such as while driving across a bridge or in a crowd of people, they might avoid similar situations at any cost. Many people with agoraphobia prefer to have a companion with them when they have to face uncomfortable situations.

Here are a few agoraphobia statistics. Somewhere around three to six percent of the population of the United States will develop agoraphobia at some time in their lives. Women are at least twice as likely to suffer from agoraphobia.

The main thing to remember when developing a definition of agoraphobia is that it is different from other panic disorders because of the frequency of the avoidance response. In other words, the person with the disorder will either stay home or go to great lengths to avoid the situations in which they are afraid they might go into a panic attack.

Anxiety attacks are very uncomfortable, so it is no wonder that agoraphobia sufferers avoid going places. Fortunately, there are treatments that work for agoraphobia, but the patient will need to be dedicated to their own healing. A good therapist can help motivate and educate them, but a certain amount of the recovery is up to the individual. With patience and perseverance, however, a person with agoraphobia can get better.

To conclude, agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder in which a person fears having a panic attack to the extent that they restrict their activities, often staying home or only venturing out with a companion to help them. The fear of open spaces is not a very good agoraphobia definition.