Are you aware of the fact that some people who suffer from panic attacks might also suffer from a condition called agoraphobia where they will avoid certain places for fear that a panic attack will happen again? People tend to create a negative mental connection with the place they have experienced an attack because panic attacks affect a person mentally and physically. People who suffer from agoraphobia may start avoiding places like sports arenas, malls, or public transportation because they are afraid to leave their comfort zones.
According to the Anxiety Disorders of America, panic disorder is diagnosed in people who experience intense feelings of fear, sweating, shortness of breath and other symptoms out of the blue. The attacks can occur unexpectedly, and may last for several minutes or more than an hour.
If a person is experiencing at least four of the following things, they are having a full-blown panic attack: fear of dying, chills or heat flush, a tingling sensation, nausea or abdominal discomfort, trembling, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and dizziness. There are some people who may feel depersonalization from their environment or may think that they are going crazy.
Panic attacks often trigger a need for an escape and intense fear in people, which causes them to become intensely afraid and feel very uncomfortable of their physical environment. The term agoraphobia is describes the fear of not being able to escape associated with an environment where a person think will will have a panic attack. Public places like theaters, sports arenas, public transportation, concert halls and other similar places when escape will be quiet impossible are usually the places agoraphobics try to avoid.
The good new is that there are treatment options available for panic attacks and panic disorders to help you lower the instances of agoraphobia. Lifestyle changes, mental health counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and certain types of medication are some of the current treatment options that can help control anxiety and reduce the risks of panic attacks. In some cases, a change in diet and lifestyle is sufficient to effectively get rid of panic attacks. Mental health counseling so that they can get desensitized to the problem-causing environment will be able to help the people who are no longer experiencing recurring panic attacks but still suffer from intense agoraphobia.
The root cause of panic disorder and agoraphobia are still unknown, but both problems are sub-types of general anxiety disorder. Panic disorder often runs through families, and can be triggered by environmental factors or stressful life events such as divorce, loss of a loved one, and other major life transitions. The exact cause of agoraphobia is still unknown, but many experts trace it to early childhood experiences of panic disorder and anxiety. However, some people believe that agoraphobia is actually a learned behavior, which means that the individual may have the ability to unlearn the behavior and enjoy living a more balanced lifestyle.
Both panic disorder and agoraphobia can be managed with behavioral therapy and lifestyle changes even with the strong link between the two. So that they can enjoy a healthier lifestyle, people who suffer from panic disorder can work on ways to control their response to certain environments.
If you’ve ever suffered from anxiety when vacationing or traveling, there is hope. Successful non-pharmaceutical approaches are available to help you to free yourself from the fearful thoughts that can lead to panic attacks.
