The Cure For New York City Agoraphobia

The pressure and fear of what teenagers perceive to be the consequences of not staying connected only exacerbates their usage. On the average, teenagers send and receive up to 30 texts a day (Lenhart, 2015). The next age group, those between 19-26, who are balancing school with work have been shown to use the internet more frequently when compared to other age groups. Research shows, when comparing age groups from 16-74, that those between the ages of 19-25 were the most frequent users with over 90% saying they used, at a minimum, the internet on a daily basis (Thomée et al., 2012). Patterns have shown that those who use internet technology on a more frequent basis are more likely to use social media and texting applications at a high rate that is almost the equivalent of all day long (Thomée et al., 2012). Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat are social media applications that both adolescents and young adults use as a high frequency throughout the day. For young adults between the ages of 20-24, their increased usage of internet technology has often been purveyed through the necessity of communication. In some studies, it shows a majority of young adults believe they are expected to be reachable 24 hours a day; hence they never turn off their smartphones (Thomée et al., 2011).

In her article “Growing Up Tethered” Sherry Turkle explores how the constant connection to the Internet is negatively affecting the development of adolescents, and postulates that growing up “tethered” to their cell phones, is interfering with their normal psychological progression into adulthood. Referring to the idea that the ubiquitous cell phone allows teenagers to contact their parents’ at any time, she states that “adolescents don’t face the same pressure to develop the independence we have associated with moving forward into young adulthood” (Turkle 431). Additionally, the author touches on aspects of the lack of privacy and time adolescents have for themselves, asking “When is downtime, when is stillness?” (Turkle 430). While the

Being tethered to a phone, as opposed to simply having and using one, has become the norm and does more harm than good at times. People, especially teenagers, cannot seem to put the phones down. Some even admit to being addicted to their smart phones and experience anxiety when they are without it. According to Ellen Gibson, author of “Sleep with Your iPhone? You're Not Alone”, more than thirty-five percent of adults in the U.S. have a smart phone; two thirds of those people actually sleep with their phone due to the anxiety they feel from the thought of missing something such as a text, phone call, email, or social media posting. Gibson states “…being away from their phone will almost certainly cause separation anxiety… some people have become so dependent on being able to use their smartphones to go online anytime, anywhere, that without that access, they ‘can no longer handle their daily routine’”. To some, being addicted to a phone is like being addicted to a drug; there is a strong dependency that makes it hard to focus or concentrate on anything else. After speaking with a group of students from Cranston High School in Connecticut, Turkle says “These young people live in a state of waiting for connection. And they are willing to take risks, to put themselves on the line. Several admit that tethered to their phones, they get into accidents when walking” (236). This is an issue that will

Definition: Agoraphobia is the fear of being in a situation where there may be lack of an escape or help, and may result in embarrassment and humiliation. (MedicineNet, 2013) This may include being in a public or open place; like in a crowd, standing in line, being in some mode of transportation, being on a bridge, or being out alone. (Psych Central Staff, 2013) Often, those with Agoraphobia need the presence of a companion to leave their house or venture to specific places. Anxiety is accompanied when one is placed in these threatening situations and they will experience panic-like symptoms or a panic attack. This fear will cause one to entirely avoid these places or situations and become more reclusive to decrease the panic attacks.

In the modern and technological society which we live in today social media plays an integral part in everyday life. Social media is an online tool which allows people to communicate, share data and form groups with others sharing common interests. On social media platforms users can forms virtual communities or networks exchanging information. (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). Social media has become such a big part of life that the term ‘Facebook addict’ has been introduced into the urban dictionary.

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.

Midterm Vignette 1. Agoraphobia is described as “marked or intense, fear or anxiety triggered by the real or anticipated exposure to a wide range of situations” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 218). This understanding can be seen through Jackie’s presentation of symptoms and the key diagnostic criteria. Criterion A focuses on the immense fear or anxiety that has to be present in two of five settings. For Jackie this criteria is met by Jackie’s expressed inability to be go to cafes or local shops, as well as his inability to go anywhere without his mother as he may have an anxiety attack.

Attention-getter: What if I told you Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat are bad for your well-being. Many of you won’t believe me or many of you will deny it, because you know it’s true. There are many negative effects from these apps that have found its way into your life whether you have noticed it or not. These apps appear to be fun, convenient, and interactive ways to talk with friends or catch up on the latest trends, but they are not as harmless as they may seem.

Symptoms are very important when it comes down to a disorder. Seeing that agoraphobia is classified as a panic/anxiety disorder there are going to be signs and symptoms that’s similar to other anxiety disorder. Furthermore, agoraphobia symptoms include fear and avoidance of places and situations that might cause feelings of panic and entrapment. Agoraphobia can severely limit your ability to socialize, work, attend important events and even manage the details of daily life. Some people have a panic disorder in addition to agoraphobia. Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder in which you experience sudden attacks of extreme fear that reach a peak (Mayoclinc, 2014). However, when people with agoraphobia are faced with these situations they

Agoraphobia is the fear of going outside and being exposed to unfamiliar places or being exposed to a place where the person had a bad experience previously. This type of phobia is more common in adults and can result in a very restrictive lifestyle, some people do not leave their houses unless going to familiar places and experience extreme fear if they go anywhere else. This type of phobia can go hand in hand with panic disorder since the fear of public spaces can be a result from previous panic attacks, creating fear and aversion to the places that reminds them of how they felt. But having agoraphobia goes beyond the fear of leaving the house, it creates stress and anxiousness regarding situations that are out of their control, fear of socializing

As reported by Johns Hopkins Medical Hospital about 26% of American adults suffer from determined mental disorders in a set year. Furthermore, 18% of these adults suffer from an anxiety disorder such as agoraphobia in the same given year. The crippling fear of being alone outside of the place a person may call home is classified as the phobia agoraphobia (National Institute of Mental Health, [NIMH], 2015). According to the NIMH 0.8% of the U.S adult population has had this mental health issue for a prevalence of about 12 months while 40.6% of these adults have been classified as a “severe” case. The demographics for agoraphobia, when speaking about age, typically are seen strongly in the age range of 30-59 year olds; notwithstanding the fact

Agoraphobia or “fear of the marketplace” is an anxiety disorder in which one fears any variety of situations where the feelings of embarrassment, helplessness, and the feeling of being trapped could possibly be associated. This phobia induces the phobias of claustrophobia along with monophobia, Furthermore, this disorder disables the victim for entering open spaces, crowded areas, tightly confined spaces, and drives one to be homebound. Esteemed celebrity Paula Deen experienced agoraphobia and luckily lived to tell the tale.

A behavioral approach combined with systematic desensitization and token economy can treat this twenty-six year old graduate student suffering from agoraphobia. Since agoraphobia normally resulted from an event or emotion behavioral treatment is sufficient to observe and eliminate the unwanted action. This is a good thing because the stressors that trigger the problem are usually replaced with a healthier behavior. Utilizing a pleasurable stimulus such as fresh air and sunlight as opposed to a dark house is good. Plus, adding a token economy reward system to replace negative agoraphobia symptoms for a twenty-six year old graduate student most likely lacking monetary fund’s is terrific.

Although I aimed to give up all use of media for a 24-hour period, I unfortunately did not succeed and was only able to stay offline for around 7-8 hours. According to the survey of our own cohort also struggled to stay offline, with 73.846% of the participants failing (POLS3512, 2015). Even though I was not able to last the entire 24 hour time period, I still think that an examination of my own personal experience dealing with this unplugged project can bring forth and enlighten how the influence of media has changed how I feel and think as well as changing how media incredibly impacts both the work and the social spheres. Using media and technology is something that greatly impacts my life. A usual day consists of me firstly being awoken every morning by the sound of music from the

Often when we’re bored we turn to social media for entertainment. We can check up on family friends or see what the hottest celebrity is up to. Then before we know it, our simple amusement becomes a huge distraction. The amount of people we can connect with on social media is endless and they are all so unique, we can