Essay On Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces. It is a very common phobia. Many people think that agoraphobia means a fear of public spaces and open spaces, but this is just part of it. With agoraphobia you may have the fear of entering shops, crowds, public spaces, travelling in trains planes or buses. You may also fear being on a bridge or elevator, being in a movie theater or restaurant where there is no easy escape. All these stem from one fear- a fear of being in a place where help is not available or where it is difficult to escape to a safe place which is usually to your home. To avoid this anxiety, many people with this phobia stay inside their homes most of the time. Another very common phobia is an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are …show more content…
Two ways that professionals can help with overcoming your phobia are behavioral therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Behavioral therapy focuses on changing specific actions and it uses different techniques to stop this certain behavior. Cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches the person new skills in order to react differently to the situation, which trigger the anxiety or panic, attacks they get. Antidepressants are commonly used to treat depression, but they also help reduce the symptoms of phobias, mainly agoraphobia and social phobia, even if you aren’t depressed. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) are the ones that are commonly used for anxiety and phobia disorders. Two examples of SSRIs are citalopram and sertraline. Another thing that is used to ease the anxiety are benzodiazepines. They are called minor tranquilizers but they can have serious side effects. They make you drowsy and it’s not a very good long-term treatment for phobias. They are addictive and can lose their effect if take more than a few times a week. Sometimes a single dose may be helpful for a phobia that occurs rarely. For example, if you have the fear of flying, one course of this minor tranquilizer before the flight may