Anxiety Disorders: Common Symptoms Of Agoraphobia

This specific phobia can lead to the person experience of an intense fear when not being able to break out of a populated area (Barlow & Mavissakalian, pp 4). This causes people having to evade open and heavily crowed environments with little possibilities to exit over their massive fear of going through a panic attack. Therefore, today there are signs in many rides at themed parks that warn people of the closed areas. This specific category of phobias causes the person to fear traveling on bus or even waiting in a line. This phobia can also lead to being dependent of someone because they are too afraid to go outside of their homes. Barlow & Mavissakalian (1981 pp 4-5), implicated that the clinical picture painted is consistent and consists or fears of going out to public places and open and crowded places, fears of walking alone or using any means or public transportation, and fears of being alone at home. Agoraphobia is the most disabling of all phobias and usually begins in early adolescence.

For a person diagnosed with agoraphobia, there are a number of restrictions and consequences associated

A phobic disorder is marked by a persistent and irrational fear of an object or situation that presents no realistic danger. Agoraphobia is an intense, irrational fear or anxiety occasioned by the prospect of having to enter certain outdoor locations or open spaces. For example, busy streets, busy stores, tunnels, bridges, public transportation and cars. Traditionally agoraphobia was solely classified as a phobic disorder. However, due to recent studies it is now also viewed as a panic disorder. Panic disorders are characterised by recurrent attacks of overwhelming anxiety that usually occur suddenly and unexpectedly (Weiten, 1998).

Agoraphobia is a strong fear and anxiety of being in places where it may be hard to escape or even where help may not be available (medlineplus.gov/ency/article). People that normally tend to have this fear try to avoid public places in that they may feel there would be a very difficult way in them trying to escape. In turn, this does make them have panic attacks

Causes: There is no known specific cause for Agoraphobia, but there are some different theories. One theory is that it may be genetic and could run in a family. Another theory is that one develops it through a personal experience. This irrational fear may stem from a previous, damaging experience that occurred in a public or open place. This would lead to bad feelings or memories and anxiety of something else similar happening. The phobia may also be somatic, meaning that one will assume anxiety will accompany a situation, so anxiety really does follow. These symptoms are caused by thoughts and worries that are consciously and purposefully thought about, but not intended to cause problems, though they do.

With anxiety disorders being one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders in the United States continued research is critical. The pervasiveness of these disorders including panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder and specific disorders comes at a high cost both socially and economically (Beidel et

Currently, I believe Barbie separately meets all criteria for both diagnosis of Agoraphobia and Panic Disorder. According to the DSM-5 this specific comorbidity is not unlikely and the following criteria for both diagnosis will be discussed as followed. The specific diagnostic criteria for Agoraphobia included sections A – I. Criteria A states that the individual must exhibit marked fear or anxiety for two or more situations and Barbie currently meets number one and three; which describes the anxiety she experiences with the thought of the use of public transportation such as a subways or bus and being in enclosed places such as the movies. Criteria B is met because it is evident in the narrative that Barbie fears these situation because

Agoraphobia is an extreme behavioral disorder where one is scared to go into places where they won’t be able to depart hurriedly, where they will be trapped, and sometimes, even just going away from their residence. When having this condition, they will avoid large environments or locations where an attack had previously occurred to prevent a future panic attack. When they are in a location that involves a public area, they may start to feel confined, fragile, and often humiliated. Individuals with this condition generally don’t suffer from an excessive amount of anxiety because they avoid the situations that will create it.

Panic disorder and agoraphobia are two separate disorders that often go hand in hand with each other. An individual can be diagnosed with panic disorder, but a diagnosis without agoraphobia can often take place as well. Some individuals develop symptoms of agoraphobia, but do not have the classic panic disorder symptoms, hence the reason they are both listed as separate disorders in the DSM-5. Panic disorder can be identified as “recurrent unexpected panic attacks. A panic attack is an abrupt surge of intense fear or intense discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes, and during which time four or more physical and cognitive characteristics take place (Hooley, J. 2017, pg.188).” When dealing with panic disorder it can often become debilitating, due to the fact that the individual does not know when the onset of an attack will occur. Individuals with panic disorder more commonly develop agoraphobia as a comorbid disorder, and if left untreated, can have a difficult time even leaving their home. Agoraphobia can be defined as “the individual fears or avoids

Those diagnosed with agoraphobia often have symptoms associated with panic attacks like rapid heartbeats, and nausea. Differing from adjustment disorder symptoms of agoraphobia can occur prior to the stressful situation which the person fears (Hooley, et al., 2017). Agoraphobia can be a severe condition causing an individual to avoid daily activities like going to the store, work or school (activities that require them to leave home) to prevent the occurrence of episodes. Per the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) 0.8% of American adults suffer from agoraphobia and about 40% of cases are considered severe (NIMH, n.d.). Unlike adjustment disorder, agoraphobia is a very disabling disorder and though people are usually cognizant of the irrationality of the fear they do not have the power to do anything to subside their feelings. Further while adjustment disorder can be diagnosed in children or adults, agoraphobia is typically diagnosed in early adulthood (APA, 2013).

Another example about Bob having panic disorder with agoraphobia is when Bob is leaving Leo’s office he gets onto the elevator. Once the doors close Bob screams because he does not like being in elevators and is afraid of them. These examples fit right into the books definitions of having panic disorder with

According to the DSM, the major symptoms of Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia are, recurrent panic attacks and enduring anxiety about experiencing another panic attack. The individual is also anxious about going places where escape might be difficult or embarrassing, or where they will be unable to receive assistance in case of emergency.

Social fear dates back to 400 B.C. and was referenced to by Hippocrates as someone who "loves darkness as life" (Cunic). Social phobia and social neurosis were terms they started using in the early 1900s to refer to extremely shy patients. In the 1960s, Isaac Marks proposed that social phobias may be separated from the other simple phobias and in the second edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, social fears were described as specific phobia and the definition was very narrow (Cunic). In the later editions of the DSM, they made many revisions to the criteria for the disorder. They added that it was the fear of performance situations, the symptoms must interfere or show distress, and they changed the same from social

Anxiety is a reaction to things that stress you. It is normal to have some anxiety at work, school, or home. It is when anxiety becomes a daily occurrence with no known cause that it is categorized as a disorder. Anxiety, panic, and depression often begin with normal stress that gets out of control.

Agoraphobia could be a result of previously repressed emotional problems, such as a death of a loved-one or any type of abuse. The fear of some situations is learned. After feeling uneasy in one situation someone might think they will get the same feeling next time. this is classified on the DSM-IV it is an excessive or unrealistic worry about life circumstances.