Agoraphobia is one of the most common anxiety disorders and is characterized by intense fear and irrational to find themselves in places or situations where it may be embarrassing for the person to go out or difficult escape. People with this type of condition cannot lead a normal and satisfying life, since they fear all the time that at any time and place where they are, they may experience a panic attack or crisis of anxiety. The places and situations that they usually avoid are, for example, open spaces, crowds, centers commercial, social events, public transport and even in the most serious cases they are afraid to leave home. The treatment to overcome agoraphobia is mainly based on psychotherapy and sometimes some drugs such as anxiolytics and antidepressants can also be administered for its cure. But, How to overcome agoraphobia without medication?, Can it be achieved? In this Psychology-Online article, we are going to give you more information about this disorder and explain what its treatment consists of.
Not all people with this disorder experience it in the same way and it is also important to take into account the intensity and severity of the symptoms. Some features what the people with agoraphobia are as follows:
- Fear of losing control in public places.
- Fear of finding yourself in places where you may make a fool of yourself or have difficulty leaving or fleeing.
- Fear of being alone. It makes you very insecure to stay alone somewhere or at home. You think something serious could happen to you, like a panic attack, and no one is going to be there to help you.
- Physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, tremors, stomachaches, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, etc., when you are in distressing environments.
- Constant changes in mood and behavior.
- Fear of leaving home. They may stop going out of the house for long periods of time.
- Panic attacks. Sometimes they may experience panic attacks when they are faced with situations that generate anxiety caused by their own fear and being constantly worried about it.
There are many consequences that this disabling disorder such as agoraphobia can bring with it. As in all types of disorders, the consequences will be more or less serious depending on how advanced is the disease, however, they must be taken into account to be able to treat it at weather. Some consequences of agoraphobia are as follows:
- Because the person is increasingly afraid of leaving the house and being in public places, depending on the type of job he has, he could lose it because of his fear.
- He will isolate himself more and more from his family and friends, as he will begin to reject invitations to go out preferring to stay locked up at home so he will lose social contact.
- The person can fall into a severe depression due to the lack of social contact that will increase every time and the constant feeling of inability to do the things that he wants.
- If you have a partner, it is likely that conflicts with her will begin to arise caused by the same agoraphobic symptoms and the lack of acceptance and understanding of the disease.
- The person can deprive themselves of activities that they like and even go on vacation.
- Over time, you generate a great feeling of guilt towards your loved ones, which further worsens your emotional well-being and your relationship with them.
- Self-esteem deteriorates as you feel unable to fend for yourself and to be so dependent on others.
- You can develop a dependence on substances such as alcohol, anxiolytics, etc.
All these repercussions each time limit the person with agoraphobia and, therefore, do not allow him to lead a normal life, much less to direct himself to his personal goals and objectives.
After having explained what are the symptoms and the consequences that agoraphobia can bring with it, you have to know what your treatment is based on to overcome it. Regarding the treatment of agoraphobia, it is essential to psychotherapy, however, in some cases (not all) it is combined with the administration of certain drugs such as antidepressants and anxiolytics. The professional is the one who is going to assess whether or not the use of drugs is really essential, since each case is different.
If you have seen a professional and they have prescribed some drugs, you have to think about why do you not want to use them, since many times they do not want to consume out of fear caused by the lack of information. Therefore, it is necessary to ask for information about the drugs that are being prescribed and assess how much they can contribute to your well-being. Regarding the drug use, the following must be taken into account:
- It may be that the first days you do not notice the difference, since they usually do not take effect immediately or Unwanted side effects may appear, usually they disappear after a few days.
- Sometimes, it is necessary to try several drugs and / or reduce or increase the dose until you find the right one for you.
- In order for them to produce the effect that drugs have to do, they must be taken constantly.
- When you want to stop consuming them, it should be done with the guidance of a professional, since it is contraindicated to stop taking them from one day to the next.
- The administration of drugs must be prescribed and controlled by a professional, never self-medicate.
What you can do to be less likely to need medication is to be consistent with psychological therapy and really put what you have learned into practice. Some of the most common exercises learned in the cognitive behavioral therapy and what you can do outside of it are the following:
Relaxation techniques
Relaxation techniques learned during therapy should be practiced daily outside of therapy. These techniques are very easy to learn and are essential to overcome agoraphobia and panic attacks. One of the techniques that is normally used is the diaphragmatic breathing, which consists of inhaling slowly and deeply, feeling how the abdomen swells, holding the air for a few seconds and exhaling slowly, taking the air out through the mouth.
Exhibition in the imagination and live
Apart from working on these types of exposures in therapy, it is also necessary to carry them out at home. You can program sessions of this type of exhibition, first, in the imagination (closing your eyes and imagining the situations that generate fear, starting with the least intensity and reducing anxiety with relaxation techniques) and once you have managed to reduce anxiety in the imagination, it is necessary that you begin to expose yourself physically. As in the exhibitions in the imagination, you have to go exposing yourself gradually to feared situations live. For example, if you are afraid to leave the house, you can start by just going to the door, staying there for a while doing your exercises breathing and when you feel calmer move forward, you can sit on the bench outside the home for a while and so on successively.
If you want to reduce the probability of having to take drugs to cure agoraphobia naturally, care is important early development of this condition and perseverance regarding this type of exercise such as relaxation techniques and exposure gradual. It should not be forgotten that it is important to follow the treatment rigorously because if this is not the case, it is more likely that there will be relapses and that it will be necessary to start over.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
