Agoraphobia – Feeling Anxious in Public Places and Crowds

Do you have some of the following concerns when you are in public places or crowds?

Fear of being in crowded places
Fear of losing control in a public place
Fear of being in places where it may be hard to leave, such as an elevator or train
Inability to leave your house for long periods (housebound)

These concerns and symptoms generally lead to a diagnosis of Agoraphobia. What can cause a person to have fears that would completely inhibit them from being able to socialize? Sometimes it is due to a tragic event and sometimes it is a side effect to another psychiatric disorder like the Bipolar Disorder that has a strong symptom of paranoia during manic episodes.

Consider the pain and fright that occurs when you are a witness or victim of a robbery, murder, rape or domestic violence. Recently a woman was driving through a neighborhood with her husband driving their truck when suddenly shots rang out and a bullet found its way through the door of the truck and into her side. She was an innocent by-standard. After the physical body healed the mental and emotional parts of her body still had fear and anxiety so bad that it kept her in her house most days. An incident like this can change a normally social, happy person into a scared hermit. It takes time, sometimes years to fully heal over a situation like this.

Those that deal with depression, anxiety and disorders like Bipolar also have to deal with Agoraphobia as a side effect. Someone who is Bipolar can have manic attacks at any time. They can be triggered by a physical illness, an event, a change in life circumstances or just by the chemicals in the brain changing. With mania can come paranoia and anxiety which could trigger a person to remain in the house away from people but awake all night talking on the phone. Even when mania is over Agoraphobia can become a regular part of their life because they are afraid of the stigma, what people are thinking, will they get sick again, will they make a fool of themselves, etc.

Those with Agorophobia will have the following symptoms in a crowd or public place:

Lightheadedness
Trouble breathing
Dizziness
Excessive sweating
Rapid heart rate
Nausea
Chest pain
Trouble swallowing

If you have experienced any of these symptoms, consider making an appointment with Paul. There are steps that you can take that are simple and proven to work. Let me help you to work through this so you can live a healthy and normal life again.