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. However this is simply not the case. Mental disorders include panic attacks, anxiety disorders and social anxieties as well. These attacks can range from mild discomfort to debilitating agoraphobia and this is a condition that can strike anyone.

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 manifest 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 many 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 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 occur anywhere at anytime, we generally associate the first place that we feel helpless as perhaps the reason for our terror.

An agoraphobia sufferer will go out of their way to avoid those places and situations where a panic attack may occur. They may even end up being housebound as they avoid being in crowded places. This unhealthy lifestyle can in itself trigger agoraphobic attacks to occur in everyday normal situations. The increased heart rate may also cause a panic attack because you may think that you're having a heart attack.

As you can see this is a vicious and extremely debilitating mental condition. For sufferers of panic attacks they should seek the medical aid of doctors who specialize in these mental disorders and receive treatment before their panic attacks spiral into agoraphobia where they may end up being restricted in their lifestyle due to their ever-increasing fear of being helpless in the face of a panic attack.

Most people develop agoraphobia after the onset of Panic Disorder. Panic disorder is simply recurring Panic Attacks. About 5 percent of the population will at one time or another face Agoraphobia or Panic Attacks. Usually women are twice as likely to be overcome with Panic Attacks and Agoraphobia. It is important for you to understand that Agoraphobia is the adverse reaction to repeated Panic Attacks and not a physical condition.

The most common treatment for Panic Attacks and Agoraphobia are the use of anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications. Also a gradual process of exposure therapy will help one overcome the cycle of Panic Attacks and Agoraphobia. A qualified physician or therapist must oversee this process.

Some other things to try are Meditation, Yoga or some other sort of exercise. This will allow you to begin to control the Panic Attacks. It is also important for you to change the wording of your inner voice. You must eliminate all negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.

A great resource for you to eliminate Panic Attacks and Agoraphobia is the Book "Overcoming Anxiety And Panic Attacks A Step-By-Step Guide"

It is also has an audio-book version that will make it much easier for you to take in all the information it gives you. Delivered as a downloadable MP3 you can listen to it on your computer, mp3 player or you can make an audio CD that you can listen to in your car or anywhere you have a CD Player.