Tuesday

Conquer Agoraphobia And Anxiety And Panic Attacks

By Anne Torres

Agoraphobia

If you hear about someone being agoraphobic, you get the immediate mental image of a recluse who hides from people. You would also figure that a person with agoraphobia would avoid social situations. But if you did, you would be wrong.

You have heard of mental disorders. You might think only mentally unbalanced people become afflicted with these conditions. Though this is simply not the case. Mental disorders include panic attacks, anxiety disorders and social anxieties as well. These attacks can range from mild uneasiness to debilitating agoraphobia and this is a condition that can strike anyone.

Panic and Anxiety Attacks

Your life is going along the normal path that you've set out when suddenly without any warning terror has you in its grip. You feel weak and helpless. Your heart's pounding and you have trouble breathing. You may even wonder if you're having a heart attack or if you're about to die. When you finally go to see a doctor, you might even be told there's nothing physically wrong with you.

So when you next suffer from an attack you wonder what's wrong with you. You find that certain situations will bring on these frightening attacks and this will be your first clue that you're experiencing a panic attack. Panic attacks are not physical conditions, and that is why your doctor might have had trouble diagnosing your complaint.

Panic and Anxiety Attacks what's the difference?

Anxiety attacks are like a feeling of dread. You don't want to do something or go somewhere. You feel uneasy and my have light physical symptoms like an irritable stomach but for the most part anxiety attacks have little physical symptoms. Panic attacks on the other hand patent physical symptoms such as painful feelings in the chest, heart racing, unable to catch ones breath or a feeling of drowning or choking. Often people use the terms anxiety and panic attacks interchangeably. This is incorrect, but since there is a gray area where they overlap people have become accustomed to using them interchangeably.

Misconceptions

So, what is agoraphobia you might ask then? This is a condition where an individual doesn't wish to go places or face situations where they could become exposed to panic attacks. The very word agoraphobia itself lets us know the nature of this debilitating condition. 'Agora' comes from the Greek language and it means places where people meet, or a marketplace. 'Phobia' is a fear of something. Thus numerous believe that agoraphobia is the fear of crowded places when in fact it's a misconception that agoraphobia is a fear of "crowded spaces.

Agoraphobia Is Related To The Pain of Panic Attacks

Agoraphobia is a condition that develops gradually. In general it occurs after a panic attack. After the first attack you may subconsciously be preparing for another attack and fearing the symptoms that will leave you feeling helpless. This cycle of panic attack and impending panic attack can cause you to change your entire lifestyle just to avoid those feelings of terror. As panic attacks can happen anywhere at anytime, we generally associate the first place that we feel helpless as perhaps the reason for our terror. - 26706

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