Claustrophobia is a fear of enclosed spaces.  This could be anything from cars to elevators, and even small rooms.  Agoraphobia on the other hand is the fear of open spaces.  Examples of open spaces include large public gathering areas like sports arenas, shopping malls, and airports. No matter what type of space invokes anxiety in the patient, the side effects are generally similar.  Dizziness, instability, sweating, and increased heart rate are all common experiences with both agoraphobia and claustrophobia.

Because these conditions tend come in conjunction with panic attacks, it is important to treat both conditions at the same time.  It is unlikely that the patient will overcome his or her panic disorder while they are suffering from other psychological issues.  In fact, panic attacks, agoraphobia, and claustrophobia all feed off of one another.  The negative effects of one can easily snowball into more severe experiences of the other.  Recognizing this relationship will help the physician prescribed a more effective treatment plan.

Most agoraphobics develop their fears as a result of reoccuring panic attacks, but each person has a unique association to what causes their panic.  It is this ”trigger response” that ultimately creates the phobia.

One common panic-inducing situation is traveling.  Whether it is flying, driving, or public transportation, thousands of sufferers attribute the cause of their panic attacks to these situations.  As their condition worsens (often as a result of multiple episodes)they begin to avoid these activites and slowly confine themselves to a small world of “safe places”.

But traveling is only one example of the many different activities that agoraphobics associate with fear and anxiety.  Public speaking, open spaces, closed spaces, heights, and water are some of the other common fears.  Some agoraphobics are comfortable with all of these activities except for one, while other face challenges with all of them.

The bottom line is that the broad definition of agoraphobia does very little to describe the intricacies of the problem.  Each case is unique, and each person faces different obstacles with their condition.  Recognizing this fact can help not only in diagnoses, but also in the creation of a targeted treatment plan. 

Agoraphobia is not a genetic condition, but rather a learned response that develops gradually.  It builds as a defensive mechanism to avoid suffering paralyzing panic attacks and anxiety symptoms.  The human mind subconsciously prepares itself for panic attacks by instilling fear for any situation that may trigger an anxious response.  This cycle of panic attack and impending panic attack causes agoraphobic individuals to change their entire lifestyle just to avoid these feelings of terror. Typically, this leads to the avoidance of public places where embarrassment and helplessness are the likely outcomes of a panic episode.

As the agoraphobia sufferer continues to eliminate “safe places” from their daily lives, they become more and more limited in their lifestyle.  They can even end up being housebound as they try to avoid certain situations.

This vicious and debilitating mental condition runs a deep cycle of reinforcement that builds the severity of each case. This why it is so important to treat the initial symptoms before a negative pattern is developed.  This usually means seeking treatment within the first cases of panic attacks before they spiral into agoraphobia.