If you have fear and dread of being in a public place with too many people such as a shopping center or a store, you probably suffer from agoraphobia. It is a fairly common phobia in a part of society since 3% of the world's population suffers from it.
This fear of being in a public space usually causes an anxiety and panic attack to the person suffering from it and it can limit in excess the normal life of this person.
What is agoraphobia
A person who suffers from agoraphobia suffers a fairly high state of anxiety when realizing that he is in a place where it can be difficult to escape or in the case of a panic attack and not being able to receive help from anyone. This phobia occurs in specific situations such as traveling by plane, being in a crowded place or being far from a hospital. The person with agoraphobia therefore avoids such situations as much as possible, thus altering their daily life.
Symptoms of agoraphobia
People who suffer from this type of phobia present some quite obvious symptoms such as avoiding being exposed to public places with many people, they present quite serious outbreaks of anxiety and the fear of making a fool of themselves because of a possible panic attack. Regarding the diagnosis, it is important to know if this phobia is capable of limiting the person in question to lead a normal life and make it disabling. In such a case, it is essential to go to an expert on the subject so that you can treat that person in the best possible way so that you can return to a completely normal life.
Causes of agoraphobia
In principle, it is not known for sure what is the cause that gives rise to agoraphobia. At a general level, it can be thought that such a phobia may appear because of a too stressful life or as a result of some type of trauma that the person has suffered throughout his life. What is clear is that there is no single cause of the appearance of agoraphobia and it is due to a cluster of them.
How to treat agoraphobia
A person who has been diagnosed with agoraphobia can be treated with drugs or through psychological therapy. In the case of pharmacological treatment, the person usually takes antidepressants and anxiolytics, always under medical prescription. It is important to note that the drugs do not cure the phobia but rather help the person so that their symptoms are not so severe. Regarding psychological therapy, the patient is subjected to cognitive behavioral therapy and although its results are not as immediate as in the case of taking drugs, it is much more effective in the medium and long term. The most advisable thing is to combine both types of treatment and thus achieve an optimal result.
I think I have agoraphobia, since most of the time I am very afraid to go out, even if it is not to go to buy something that I like, I am still afraid.
It has helped me to drink linden and chamomile tea with anise, it relaxes me a lot and there I can go out for a while.