- Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia

Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia

Stop panic and anxiety attacks - Click here!

Panic disorder can occur with or without agoraphobia, but in approximately one third of all cases panic disorder progresses to include avoidance of any ‘unprotected space’ (where a panic attack might occur).

By the time panic disorder has reached this active avoidance phase, the early phase of agoraphobia has set in. The panic attack sufferer will find his or her world shrinking to an ever-smaller space in which he or she hopes panic attacks can be kept at bay.

Agoraphobics develop a complex web of fears that end up constricting their activities severely. Some of the symptoms of agoraphobia include:

• Severe anxiety punctuated by panic attacks.
• A tendency to become housebound for long periods of time.
• Extreme dependence on others (in order to avoid leaving the house).
• Fear of being alone.
• Fear of places where escape is perceived as difficult.
• Fear of losing control in a public place.
• Feeling detached from others or estranged.
• Helpless feelings.
• De-realization (a feeling of unreality in one’s environment).
• Feeling that one’s own body is not real.
• Intense bouts of temper accompanied by twitching or trembling.

Symptoms of agoraphobia may be punctuated by physical symptoms of panic which are much more intense and may be mistaken for a heart attack or physical illness or emergency. These panic attack symptoms may include some or all of the following:

• Difficulty breathing.
• Sweating and nausea.
• Dizziness and extreme confusion or disorientation.
• Lightheadedness or fainting.
• Numbness and/or tingling in the hands, feet, legs, arm, and face.
• Blushing or redness of the skin.
• Chest pain and/or tightness.
• Intense fear of dying.
• Intense fear of going crazy.
• Rapid pulse, racing heart.
• High blood pressure.

Panic disorder with agoraphobia is the most severe form of the illness. By the time a person has become agoraphobic they have probably been dealing ineffectively with panic and anxiety attacks for quite some time.

Although panic disorder with agoraphobia is very debilitating and can lead to social isolation, unemployment, and damaged interpersonal relationships, panic disorder with agoraphobia responds well to treatment.

Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial. The sooner the disorder is interrupted with therapy and drugs the shorter the recovery period will be. The standard approach treating panic disorder with agoraphobia is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) combined with systematic desensitization.

CBT helps the patient ‘reframe’ their views of the world and their own fear. Systematic desensitization is a gradual process whereby the agoraphobic person is exposed to threatening situations in very small doses.

For example, at first, the agoraphobic person may be asked to simply imagine leaving the house until no panic reaction follows that request, then progress to opening the door, then eventually to stepping outside. The length of time this takes varies with each patient but the prognosis for a complete cure is very good if the client sticks with it.

Often, people who suffer panic disorder with agoraphobia will be given antidepressant and/or anti-anxiety medication during treatment to reduce the symptoms. Once therapy is successful, the patient may gradually wean off the medications, or in some cases, may continue them for anxiety reduction and maintenance of a panic-free life.

People who are experiencing panic disorder without agoraphobia can sometimes prevent the illness from progressing by seeking early and aggressive treatment. The cause of panic disorder is not known. Anxiety and panic disorders are the most common mental health problems in the United States, accounting for 30% of all mental health expenditures.