Agoraphobia
Some people can get really scared about going out of the house. It can be hard going to the shops, making visits to friends, or even simple things like taking out the rubbish to the bins.
Agoraphobia can cause great stress, but it is not dangerous. It will do you no harm.
Agoraphobia is a fear of busy places. It can also be a fear of going into places where escape is difficult. It can cause great distress and badly affect the way you are able to live your life. The most common places people fear are: cars, buses, trains, planes, traffic jams, shops/ supermarkets, queues, crowds, lifts, being alone at home, being far from home, escalators, cinemas/theatres, churches, pubs/restaurants, tunnels, shopping centres, large offices. You may be able to go out in the darkness or when you have someone with you,
We must take this one step further: You are not afraid of a shop, a bus, the post-office queue:
YOU ARE AFRAID OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO YOU THERE
You are maybe afraid that something awful will happen; such as fainting, having a panic attack, losing control, being sick, losing control of your bladder/bowels, acting in a 'strange' way, making a fool of yourself, getting self-conscious, going mad or maybe even dying.
Your fear will usually be worse if you feel that escape from the place is difficult or that you would draw attention to yourself. Usually when you feel anxious your blood pressure rises. You might feel like fainting, but your blood pressure rising will stop this happening.
Avoiding going to places is a common way of coping. You may be able to go when the places are quieter or if someone you can rely on is with you. Often people say that even having the children with them helps. They may help distract attention away from the fear. You may feel that you can control your stress better when you have to be responsible for your children's safety.
Sometimes there will be a fear of staying alone in the house in case something happens to you as there would be no-one there to help you. So it isn't just a problem you have when outside the house.
It is common for people to have agoraphobia at the same time as stress, depression, panic attacks.
How common is agoraphobia?
Around 5% of adults experience agoraphobia. It affects both men and women, although there are more women than men who seek help for it. Agoraphobia usually starts in the late 20s and can also involve panic attacks and other phobias. It can be caused by a certain event, but sometimes it develops for no obvious reason. Without treatment agoraphobia can continue, and get worse.
What causes agoraphobia?
Agoraphobias are a specific form of stress; the things which can cause it are often the things which cause any form of stress. It is not clear why people develop a particular form of stress. They may be caused by:
Direct causes
Sometimes bad things happen to you like being mugged in the street.
Indirect causes
Sometimes people don't know why agoraphobia started when it did. This is the usual picture in stress. Life events in previous years may be important. It may be triggered by one small event which acts as the straw that breaks the camel's back. In itself it may not seem important but coming at the end of a host of stresses and strains, it may be the final straw.
Preparedness
One explanation is 'preparedness' which says that we can, when under stress, develop fears of things which might involve danger to the human race. So it is useful to have a built-in fear that you might be attacked if you live in a dangerous place.
Safety signals
Related to 'preparedness' is the idea that we look for 'signs' which send out signals saying that we are near safety. Common 'signs' are your own house, the house of friends or relatives, maybe even things like toilets in the shops - anywhere that you might run to in a panic and feel safe there. So when you leave home, you are moving away from 'signs'. When you return, you are moving closer to your safe haven. You will then feel more secure. You may feel better in certain streets if you know that you can knock a friend's door if you feel too tense. Try to work out where your safety signals come from.
There is no magic cure - don't be impatient. It takes time to control stress. Believe in yourself - you can do it.
What keeps agoraphobia going?
Do you avoid:
- Doing things linked to the fear?
- Going places linked to the fear?
This feeds the fear and keeps it alive. A big part of getting on top of it is learning ways to face your fears.
Do you take precautions?
- You might take a drink before you go out.
- You might take a bottle of water with you in case your mouth goes dry
- You might only go out with someone you trust.
- You might only go out in daylight
- You might avoid eye contact if you do go out
- You might have a ready excuse 'I'm not feeling well that's why I can't come out.'
You might see this as common sense but doing this feeds the fear. A big part of getting on top of the fear is to learn ways to cope without doing this.
This can be a big problem. It is hard to get to make friends. You may feel alone a lot of the time. You may dread invites, etc. Go to the treatment zone to find out how best to fight agoraphobia.
