Scared of going out of your home? You could be agarophobic

Do people and places scare you? How often do you get cold feet while talking to someone unknown? Do you think you are not confident enough to go out in public? When you think you cannot just leave your house without being accompanied by someone, or if new and crowded places make you sweaty, you might be agoraphobic. No, your confidence has nothing to do with your fear of going to new places, meeting people or having dependency on others, you just have a very common illness called agoraphobia.

Yes, indeed agoraphobia is very common as a study reveals that Agoraphobia is more common in women than it is in men and the same studies also show that 40% of people have had impulsive panic attacks at some point of their life but still did not develop to the extreme stage of agoraphobia, where the sufferer experience a pounding heart with extremity. 

What is Agoraphobia?

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder, where you fear place, situations and people that might cause anxiety or distress and the sufferer might also feel trapped, embarrassed or helpless without any reason.

Being in an elevator, making use of public transportation, being in a crowded place can trigger anxiety attacks in a person with agoraphobia. The anxiety is just the fear of not having an escape or a help if intense/ extreme anxiety emerges. In most cases, people only have extreme level of anxiety stages after a couple of minor anxiety strokes that has had caused them to be scared of another attack, the place where it occurred and the people that caused it.

As per a person with agoraphobia, there is no place safe other than their own home, they do their best to avoid public places and crowds. The person, who is agoraphobic always seek the help or feel the need of a companion while going out of their homes, like a friend, a boyfriend or their siblings. They just need someone known around them while visiting public places. 

What are the symptoms of Agoraphobia?

An agoraphobic will showcase these following symptoms: 

• They will feel scared if left alone in any situation.

• They are scared of being alone in a crowded place.

• They will always being scared of losing control in a public place.

• Closed places will scare them and also leaving an elevator is very hard for them.

• They feel extremely uncomfortable to leave their home and will only be comfortable when someone will accompany them.

• They feel helpless.

• They are most of the time dependent on others.

Apart from these apparent symptoms, a person suffering from agoraphobia might experience the following physical symptoms: 

• Will have a high heart rate.

• Will sweat a lot.

• Will experience troubled breathing.

• Will have slight numbness or tingling sensation.

• Might feel pressure in chest.

• Might experience dizziness.

• Can also experience an upset stomach.

• Might also feel the fear of dying. 

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