Symptoms of Agoraphobia
Individuals with agoraphobia:- Often experience depressed mood and exhibit anxious or fearful behaviors.
- Experience anxiety about places or situations where escape may be difficult and may suffer panic-attacks.
- Common problem situations include being outside of the home, traveling in a car, being on a bridge, or being in crowds.
- Before diagnosis clinicians need to rule out other disorders such as specific phobias, social phobias, and post traumatic stress disorder.
Treatments for Agoraphobia
- Psychiatric drugs such as SSRI’s and benzodiazepines can be effect when treating agoraphobics who also experience panic attacks. Treatments tend to be more effective when combined with behavioral therapy.
- Systematic desensitization can also be effective. This approach involves gradual exposure to real-life feared situations.
