This article discusses the specific symptoms and signs of agoraphobia that clinicians use to diagnose the disorder.
What Is Agoraphobia?
Agoraphobiaderived from the Latin “fear of the marketplace"is a bang out of anxiety disorder.
Westend61 / Getty Images
Many people with agoraphobia fear simply leaving home.
About 1.3% of U.S. adults experience agoraphobia at some point.
Symptoms and signsare not the same.
Signs are objective; they’re observable and measurable.
Symptoms are subjective; only the affected person can sense them.
In addition, the symptoms must persist at least six months.
Avoidant behavioris another part of the diagnostic picture.
Agoraphobia may entail features of panic disorder, but not all panic disorders include agoraphobia.
You don’t have to be diagnosed with panic disorder to be diagnosed with agoraphobia.
And even if you don’t have panic disorder, you may still have panic attacks associated with agoraphobia.
A Word From Verywell
Not all phobias need treatment.
But if a phobia affects your daily life, therapies are available to help you overcome your fearsoften permanently.
Remember that you deserve to feel comfortable performing your everyday activities without disruption.
If you experience agoraphobia or related symptoms, express your concerns promptly to a healthcare professional.
These often lead to avoidant behaviors that negatively affect daily life.
No one knows for sure, but certain risk factors may increase your risk.
Learn all you might about the condition.
have a go at remain patient and understanding as the person learns to cope.
Harvard Medical School.National Comorbidity Survey (NCS).
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Table 3.10, Panic disorder and agoraphobia criteria changes from DSM-IV to DSM-5.
Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2016.
2020;99(30):e21414.
Seedat S, ed.PLOS ONE.2016;11(11).
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Ed.).
American Psychiatric Association: Washington, DC; 2013.
