Agoraphobia is generally viewed as having a fear of traveling. In reality it is not a fear of the traveling experience (i.e. movement toward a distant location) as much as it is the fear of being gone from familiar and safe surroundings. That is why agoraphobia is often confused with fear of flying or car travel.
In reality these two disorders are quite different. The fear of flying and related fears of being in a moving vehicle is a totally different type of phobia. The agoraphobia sufferer dreads being gone from outside their physical/geographical comfort zone – not the act of travel.
An Agoraphobia Panic Attack is not unlike other types of anxiety attack in that it is characterized by similar physical symptoms of rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure, headache, muscle aches, chest pains, cold-sweats, etc. – along with the psychological symptoms of extreme fear and panic coupled with the desire to flee the environment and return to their safe zone.
The primary problem with the treatment of an agoraphobia sufferer is that they often ovoid treatment by simply staying at home – and precluding an attack. This is not unlike the sufferer of Social Anxiety Disorder who rarely leaves home. Both of these sufferers are difficult to treat because they simply live with the disorder by preventing its occurrence. In neither case is treatment possible because the patient has precluded access to their condition. Many people with agoraphobia live their entire lives within just a few miles – or blocks – from their home comfort zone. This is very unfortunate because treatments for this disorder work relatively well.
The basic approach to treating agoraphobia is to introduce a planned regimen of limit-stretching of their boundaries while treating the physical symptoms with tranquilizers and antidepressant. This may seem odd – that the cure is doses of the panic source itself – but in reality what is happening is that the increased limit-stretching is forcing the subconscious and conscious minds to accept that indeed there is nothing to fear in either travel or geographical relocation. Many acclaimed travelers began their world travels after conquering agoraphobia.
As indicated you will probably need to consult both your primary care physician and a therapist or psychiatrist to obtain or develop the actual battle plan for this behavior modification. You will also need prescription tranquilizers and antidepressants to treat the symptoms. You should expect to begin seeing demonstrable improvements in about six months, along with the disappearance anxiety attacks.
