Agoraphobia is the fear of the outside world, such as public places and events. As Ahmed Okasha states in a Britannica article: “The term derived from the Greek word Agora, meaning “place of assembly,” “open space,” or “marketplace,” and from the English word phobia, meaning fear.” (Ahmed Okasha, Agoraphobia, Britannica, par, 1) Although it’s a fear, Agoraphobia is a branch of the Anxiety Tree due to its high connection with anxiety and panic attacks. Agoraphobia commonly occurs under the circumstances of an enabler, wether it be a traumatic event, panic attack or an anxiety induced event. Specifically, when one has an anxiety attack in a public place, they might not develop agoraphobia right then and there. However, if that same person experiences a panic attack in …show more content…
A traumatic event is usually the cause of Agoraphobia. American Psychiatric Association also declares: “The agoraphobic situations are actively avoided, require the presence of a companion or are endured with intense fear or anxiety.” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 222). In most cases with Agoraphobia a person will usually just avoid the place or even the outside all together depending on the severity. Also, Agoraphobia is a treatment disorder. There is no cure, but there are medications, specialists, and therapists; meaning if medicated the person could potentially handle the area of trauma without strain. The American Psychiatric Association further argues: “The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger posed by the agoraphobic situations and to the sociocultural context.”(American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 222). If a person were to have one or more anxiety/panic attacks in the same area, then there’s a high chance they would develop Agoraphobia. Say you have recurring panic attacks on the train during your daily commute. The panic attacks that have occurred on that train have enabled the agoraphobic response,