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Can you reverse agoraphobia?
There is a catch-22 in recovery from agoraphobia: you must learn to endure the panic attacks in order to stop having them. This involves finding a goal that is bigger than your anxieties and that is worth enduring the extreme discomfort, like being able to go to dinner with your family, taking a vacation, etc. Agoraphobia can develop as a complication of panic disorder, an anxiety disorder involving panic attacks and moments of intense fear. It can arise by associating panic attacks with the places or situations where they occurred and then avoiding them. Agoraphobia can involve a combination of fears, other feelings, and physical symptoms. These can all vary from mild to severe. Some people can manage agoraphobia symptoms by following a routine. For others, it can be severely debilitating. Without treatment agoraphobia tends to get worse with time. The more you avoid, the more you are likely to avoid in the future. How long does agoraphobia last? Many people with agoraphobia make a full recovery after seeking help. But for some people who don’t get treatment, agoraphobia can last years. The panic attacks caused by the condition usually last between 10 and 30 minutes, although some people experience shorter or longer incidents. Agoraphobia has a heritability of about 60%. Panic disorder has a heritability of around 30%. This means genes will have a stronger effect on determining who develops agoraphobia, but environment will have a stronger effect on who develops panic disorder.
Will I have agoraphobia forever?
If left untreated, agoraphobia can last for years, during which the person may experience multiple panic attacks and fear experiencing future ones. Although individual panic attacks usually last between 10 and 30 minutes, agoraphobia itself can last a lifetime if the person doesn’t get help. If left untreated, agoraphobia can have dangerous consequences. “Depression is more likely in people with agoraphobia and the longer it’s left untreated, the higher the risk,” says Rosenstein. He explains that other anxiety disorders, psychiatric conditions and health problems are also more likely. If your agoraphobia is severe, you may not even be able to leave your home. Without treatment, some people become housebound for years. If this happens to you, you may not be able to visit with family and friends, go to school or work, run errands, or take part in other routine daily activities. A person with agoraphobia is afraid to leave environments they know or consider to be safe. In severe cases, a person with agoraphobia considers their home to be the only safe environment. They may avoid leaving their home for days, months or even years. Translated, agoraphobia means ‘fear of the marketplace’. A diagnosis of agoraphobia can usually be made if: you’re anxious about being in a place or situation where escape or help may be difficult if you feel panicky or have a panic attack, such as in a crowd or on a bus. you avoid situations described above, or endure them with extreme anxiety or the help of a companion.