Specific Agoraphobias

A phobic disorder is marked by a persistent and irrational fear of an object or situation that presents no realistic danger. Agoraphobia is an intense, irrational fear or anxiety occasioned by the prospect of having to enter certain outdoor locations or open spaces. For example, busy streets, busy stores, tunnels, bridges, public transportation and cars. Traditionally agoraphobia was solely classified as a phobic disorder. However, due to recent studies it is now also viewed as a panic disorder. Panic disorders are characterised by recurrent attacks of overwhelming anxiety that usually occur suddenly and unexpectedly (Weiten, 1998).

A phobic disorder is marked by a persistent and irrational fear of an object or situation that presents no realistic danger. Agoraphobia is an intense, irrational fear or anxiety occasioned by the prospect of having to enter certain outdoor locations or open spaces. For example, busy streets, busy stores, tunnels, bridges, public transportation and cars. Traditionally agoraphobia was solely classified as a phobic disorder. However, due to recent studies it is now also viewed as a panic disorder. Panic disorders are characterised by recurrent attacks of overwhelming anxiety that usually occur suddenly and unexpectedly (Weiten, 1998).

Specific phobia, also known as simple phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by persistent and unreasonable fear of something or fear of a situation, wherein such fear is not proportionate to the danger or risk of that thing or situation that a person has the fear of. The five sub-type of specific phobia are the animal, natural environment, blood injection injury, situational and others. The most common specific phobia is the animal phobia. Examples of this animal phobia include fear of dogs, snakes, insects or mice. To prevent over diagnosis of specific phobia, DSM 5 have made several changes based on the over assessment of danger or erratic fear. To be considered as one of the specific phobias, it should meet the requirements

Agoraphobia is a mental disorder. It is a type of anxiety or fear. People with agoraphobia fear public places where they may be trapped, helpless, or embarrassed in the event of a panic attack or loss of control. They often start to avoid the feared situations or insist that another person go with them. Agoraphobia may interfere with normal daily activities and personal relationships. People with severe agoraphobia may become completely homebound and dependent on others for groceries and other errands.

In everyday life, anxiety is an adaptive response to deal with short-term threatening, dangerous or emergency situations (Grivas & Letch, 2017). This can temporarily activate the sympathetic nervous system and the fight-flight-freeze response, causing physiological symptoms of dizziness, trembling, shortness of breath and increased heart rate. Stress and anxiety may be seen in other mental disorders, such as specific phobia, but are not considered mental disorders. Specific phobia is a phobia “marked by persistent fear or anticipation of a specific situation in which exposure to the phobic stimulus almost invariably provokes an immediate anxiety response” (Grös & Antony, 2006). Specific phobias can be categorised into four main types ,animal type, natural environment type, blood-injection-injury type and situation type.

Phobic disorders are one of the most common forms of psychiatric illness. There are so many different phobias. Some examples are, Social Anxiety Disorder, Agoraphobia: the fear of being alone in public places, Cynophobia: the fear of dogs, and Arachnophobia: the fear of spiders. Anxiety is a big common factor when experiencing phobic disorders. A disorder can start off really small and not be that big of a problem, but over time it can increase and get

Specific phobia is the disproportionate fear or avoidance of a particular object or situation. Phobias are intense, unreasonable fears that interfere with functioning. Anxiety and fear are common to be a part of most of the other anxiety disorders like social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and agoraphobia. The development and maintenance of a specific phobia can be the result of fear conditioning. The behavioral model of specific phobia is based upon the assumption that thoughts and beliefs can influence our own behavior, emotions, and physiology. This model is built from Mowrer’s two-factor model of conditioning. The learned preparedness model suggests that fears of objects with evolutionary significance may be more sustained after condition. Although not all people with negative experiences will develop phobias.

Social anxiety disorder, which is also called social phobia involves overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. The worry often centers on a fear of being judged by others, or behaving in a way that might cause embarrassment or lead to ridicule. The fear may be made worse by a lack of social skills or experience in social situations. The anxiety can build into a panic attack. As a result of the fear, the person endures certain social situations in extreme distress or may avoid them altogether. In addition, people with social anxiety disorder often suffer anticipatory anxiety, the fear of a situation before it even happens, for days or weeks before the event. In many cases, the person is aware that the fear is unreasonable, yet is unable to overcome it. (Goldberg)

There are many symptoms that display a diagnosis of agoraphobia, but the main one is anxiety. People who suffer from agoraphobia often suffer from the feeling of being anxious about being in or having a panic attack in public or unfamiliar places (“Agoraphobia,” 2014; “Agoraphobia,” 2011). People who have agoraphobia, do not just have a fear of public places; it is the things associated with public places that they fear. Someone who has agoraphobia also has a fear of being unaccompanied, congested venues, and places with questionable exits, such as elevators or airplanes (“Agoraphobia,” 2011). These people also have a feeling of being confined to their house because they fear leaving; they also fear the feeling of being dependent on someone else (“Agoraphobia,” 2011). When someone who has agoraphobia experiences a panic attack, it is similar to any other panic attack. Symptoms of a panic attack include difficulty

spaces (agoraphobia). This is a fear of an actual or anticipated situation, such as using public transportation, being in open or enclosed spaces, standing in line or being in a crowd, or being outside the home alone. The anxiety is caused by fearing no easy means of escape or help if intense anxiety develops. Most people who have agoraphobia develop it after having one or more panic attacks, causing them to fear another attack and avoid the place where it occurred. For some people, agoraphobia may be so severe that they're unable to leave home.

Known as a mental disorder a phobia is a persistent fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to compelling desire to avoid it. Phobias tend to affect the way people live their lives, for example, their working and social environments, considering that they last for a very long time and are capable to cause intense psychological physical stress. It is considered today the most common mental and anxiety disorder in the United States (Matig Mavissakalian & David H. Barlow 1981 pp 2). There are many phobias such as: the fear of aging, fear of changing, fear of clowns, fear of getting fat, fear of being in closed spaces, etc.

For example agoraphobia is being afraid in public place where he or she cannot find an escape or have assistance. This can cause them to experience a panic attack and not able to function properly. This disease is more common in poor people rather than wealthy people, as well as it can occur more with women than men. People with agoraphobia avoid crowded areas, airplanes, bus stations, and more. It is as if they are becoming prisoners in their own home. There are different types of treatments for people with specific phobias such as systematic desensitization, flooding, and modeling. All these different approaches are generalized as exposure treatments. The best way to treat clients with agoraphobia is through the exposure treatments. It can cause some relief and less anxiety, but also if they join in support groups or self-help programs the more likely they are to succeed. The encouragement for someone who also suffers from the same anxiety disorder is more helpful and motivates both of them more (Comer

A phobia is an intense but unrealistic fear that can interfere with the ability to socialize, work, or go about everyday life, brought on by an object, event, or situation. “Many people to this very day fail to understand the difference between a phobia and a fear”(Richards). A fear is an emotional response to a perceived threat. “Fears are more common than phobias in the population today and are often bland reactions to objects or events”(Richards). For example, many people fear spiders, which causes them to experience a mild to moderate anxiety reaction when they see one. Phobias are known to be another form of anxiety, which is an emotional state of fearfulness or displeasure. “Anxiety is a common mental disorder that many people experience

Phobias have impacted millions of people just in the United States. Whether they or someone they know has a phobia, phobias have affected their lives somehow. Researchers have found various methods for treating these phobias, but still have not found the exact cause for the development of phobias. To help organize these phobias, researchers have created three main categories that group the phobias by the general subject of fear. As previously stated, researchers have not yet determined the cause of the development of phobias, but have narrowed it down to two main theories. With treatments, researchers have been a bit more successful with finding working treatments, however, there still aren’t very many alternatives. Through the use of three broad categories of phobias, probable causes and treatments can be determined.

Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) can be described as an extreme, persistent fear of being scrutinized or judged by others in social situations. This fear may lead to feelings of embarrassment, humiliation and self-consciousness. People who suffer from this condition may “feel powerless against their anxiety” (ADAA). These emotions often interfere with daily activities, such as school, work and personal relationships. The person might begin to withdraw socially or avoid situations in which he or she is afraid. Millions of Americans endure this devastating condition every day of their lives. There are several causes, symptoms and treatments.