AGORAPHOBIA

What is  agoraphobia? Fear of being in open spaces or situations in which it could be difficult to escape. As consequence of this fear, the person avoids the been afraid situations, supports them with great anxiety or needs to be accompanied.

Causes: 
To present symptoms of anxiety before the situation been afraid as throbs, cardiac intensive pace, excessive perspiration, quakes or jolts of the members, dryness of mouth, difficulty to breathe, sensation of suffocation, pain or discomfort in the chest, nauseas, abdominal discomfort, sensation of dizziness, instability, sensation of faint, sensation of losing the control or imminent death and fear of dying. Emotional significant, secondary discomfort to the conduct of avoidance or to the symptoms are excessive or meaningless.

This disorder, to a severe degree, is very incapacitating since it hinders the adequate performance of those affected at work, family or social level. It is common for patients to stop working, drop out of school or spend months, even years, without leaving home.
 
Solution:
The goal for psychiatrists and psychologists in treating agoraphobia is to reduce symptoms as much as possible. Pharmacological treatment is the basis of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepines. These drugs proved to be effective in panic attacks, avoidance and depression, improving the quality of life. The psychological treatment aims to make the patient aware of the functioning of the anxiety response, accepting it as a normal reaction and helping him to interpret the crises. It seeks to recover the mobility and autonomy that the individual had before the onset of agoraphobia.