Panic disorder with agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder in which there are repeated attacks of intense fear and anxiety, and a fear of being in places where escape might be difficult, or where help might not be available.
Agoraphobia usually involves fear of crowds, bridges, or of being outside alone.
This article discusses panic disorder with agoraphobia. For information on panic disorder itself, see also: Panic disorder
Alternative NamesAgoraphobia; Anxiety disorder- agoraphobia
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsThe exact causes of panic disorder and agoraphobia are unknown. Because panic attacks often occur in areas or situations where they have happened in the past, panic may be a learned behavior. Agoraphobia sometimes occurs when a person has had a panic attack and begins to fear situations that might lead to another panic attack.
Anyone can develop a panic disorder, but it usually starts around age 25. Panic disorder is more common in women than men.
SymptomsPanic attacks involve short periods of intense anxiety symptoms, which peak within 10 minutes. Panic attack symptoms can include:
Agoraphobia is considered to be present when places or situations are being avoided. People with agoraphobia generally do not feel safe in public places. Their fear is worse when the place is crowded. Symptoms of agoraphobia include:
People who first experience panic sometimes fear they have a serious illness, or are even dying. Often, people will go to an emergency room or other urgent care center because they think they are having a heart attack.
A physical examination and psychological evaluation can help diagnose panic disorder. It is important to rule out any medical disorders, such as problems involving the heart, hormones, breathing, nervous system, and substance abuse. Which tests are done to rule out these conditions depends on the symptoms.
TreatmentThe goal of treatment is to help you feel and function better. The success of treatment usually depends in part on how severe the agoraphobia is.
The standard treatment approach combines cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with an antidepressant medication.
CBT involves 10 to 20 visits with a mental health professional over a number of weeks. CBT helps you change the thoughts that cause your condition. It may involve:
Gradually exposing the patient to the real-life situation that causes the fear has also helped some people overcome their fears.
A healthy lifestyle that includes exercise, enough rest, and good nutrition can also help be helpful.
Expectations (prognosis)Most patients can get better with medications or behavioral therapy. However, without early and effective help, the disorder may become more difficult to treat.
ComplicationsCall for an appointment with your health care provider if you have symptoms of panic attacks or agoraphobia.
PreventionEarly treatment of panic disorder can often prevent agoraphobia.
ReferencesTaylor CT, Pollack MH, LeBeau RT, Simon NM. Anxiety disorders: panic, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety. In: Stern TA, Rosenbaum JF, Fava M, Biederman J, Rauch SL, eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier;2008:chap 32.
Panic disorder with agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder in which there are repeated attacks of intense fear and anxiety, and a fear of being in places where escape might be difficult, or where help might not be available.
Agoraphobia usually involves fear of crowds, bridges, or of being outside alone.
This article discusses panic disorder with agoraphobia. For information on panic disorder itself, see also: Panic disorder
Alternative NamesAgoraphobia; Anxiety disorder- agoraphobia
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsThe exact causes of panic disorder and agoraphobia are unknown. Because panic attacks often occur in areas or situations where they have happened in the past, panic may be a learned behavior. Agoraphobia sometimes occurs when a person has had a panic attack and begins to fear situations that might lead to another panic attack.
Anyone can develop a panic disorder, but it usually starts around age 25. Panic disorder is more common in women than men.
SymptomsPanic attacks involve short periods of intense anxiety symptoms, which peak within 10 minutes. Panic attack symptoms can include:
Agoraphobia is considered to be present when places or situations are being avoided. People with agoraphobia generally do not feel safe in public places. Their fear is worse when the place is crowded. Symptoms of agoraphobia include:
People who first experience panic sometimes fear they have a serious illness, or are even dying. Often, people will go to an emergency room or other urgent care center because they think they are having a heart attack.
A physical examination and psychological evaluation can help diagnose panic disorder. It is important to rule out any medical disorders, such as problems involving the heart, hormones, breathing, nervous system, and substance abuse. Which tests are done to rule out these conditions depends on the symptoms.
TreatmentThe goal of treatment is to help you feel and function better. The success of treatment usually depends in part on how severe the agoraphobia is.
The standard treatment approach combines cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with an antidepressant medication.
CBT involves 10 to 20 visits with a mental health professional over a number of weeks. CBT helps you change the thoughts that cause your condition. It may involve:
Gradually exposing the patient to the real-life situation that causes the fear has also helped some people overcome their fears.
A healthy lifestyle that includes exercise, enough rest, and good nutrition can also help be helpful.
Expectations (prognosis)Most patients can get better with medications or behavioral therapy. However, without early and effective help, the disorder may become more difficult to treat.
ComplicationsCall for an appointment with your health care provider if you have symptoms of panic attacks or agoraphobia.
PreventionEarly treatment of panic disorder can often prevent agoraphobia.
ReferencesTaylor CT, Pollack MH, LeBeau RT, Simon NM. Anxiety disorders: panic, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety. In: Stern TA, Rosenbaum JF, Fava M, Biederman J, Rauch SL, eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier;2008:chap 32.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 03/30/2010
David B. Merrill, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
panic disorder without agoraphobia
Panic disorder can involve feelings of fear and anxiety. Anxiety attacks can bring on the feeling of having a heart attack. Sometimes a panic disorder can lead to someone not wanting to leave the safety of their own home. That fear is called agoraphobia.
Venlafaxine is used to treat depression, anxiety, panic disorder and agoraphobia. It is also prescribed as Effexor which is trademarked by Pfizer.
Elke Zuercher-White has written: 'Overcoming Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia' 'An end to panic' -- subject(s): Popular works, Panic disorders, Anxiety, Phobias, Self-help techniques 'Overcoming Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia - Therapist Protocol (Best Practices for Therapy)'
Many patients who have agoraphobia have it as a result of a panic disorder. Agoraphobia is a fear of places or situations where a panic attack may occur. People with agoraphobia avoid being out alone, going to supermarkets, travelling in trains and planes, being at heights, in elevators or tunnels or crossing open fields, Many patients even experience panic when they are asleep.
affective (mood) disorders, personality disorders, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), eating disorders, substance abuse, anxiety or panic disorder, agoraphobia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
agoraphobia
In my personal opinion, "Panic Away" is the best program for most people who have panic attacks and general anxiety.
no such critter, i don't believe. did you mean agorophobia? Agoraphobia was traditionally thought to involve a fear of public places and open spaces. However, it is now believed that agoraphobia develops as a complication of panic attacks.[1] But there is evidence that the implied one-way causal relationship between spontaneous panic attacks and agoraphobia in DSM-IV appears incorrect.[2] Agoraphobia may arise by the fear of having a panic attack in a setting from which there is no easy means of escape.
It's difficult to categorize one as being "worse" than the other because they are interconnected. Panic disorder involves experiencing recurring panic attacks, which are the defining feature of the disorder. In this sense, panic disorder encompasses the experience of panic attacks. However, not all panic attacks lead to a diagnosis of panic disorder. Panic attacks can occur as isolated incidents or in the context of other anxiety disorders, without meeting the criteria for panic disorder.
It's kind of straight forward...you panic, its a disorder
A generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or panic disorder.