5 Ways to Identify Agoraphobia

1. Watch for Anxiety in Places Where Easy Exit is Difficult

Agoraphobia translates literally as a fear of outdoor spaces ("fear of the marketplace" in Greek). More accurately, it is a fear of being trapped somewhere where you might not be able to get help, or where escape is not readily apparent. Places like elevators, subway cars, airplanes and tunnels can trigger agoraphobic reactions. Some agoraphobics identify a hairdresser's chairs as a trigger, and others have mentioned windowless rooms or places with no easily identifiable exit. Whatever the area, if you feel a sense of fear or panic at the lack of an easy escape, it may be a sign of encroaching agoraphobia.

2. Check for Fearful or Panicked Behavior in Crowded Places

Crowds and crowded locations are also triggers for agoraphobia. You may notice an irrational desire to avoid places like grocery stores, stadiums, restaurants and public thoroughfares. This stems less from a fear of those places themselves than from anticipation of a triggered panic attack in those places and what other people might think of you if you lose control. In the worst cases of agoraphobia, it may translate into an inability to leave your home, remaining inside and "safe" at all times.

3. Look for an Intense Unease at Being Alone

A growing dependence on others often accompanies the fear of crowded places or spaces where escape is difficult. Agoraphobics cite the fear of having a panic attack where no one is able to help, and often stay close to people whom they believe will provide assistance if they need it. It can be a spouse, a family member, a doctor or a close friend--anybody thought of as "safe" and able to help in the event of an attack. That dependence and the fear of being alone is often accompanied by an overall sense of helplessness--a belief that the agoraphobic can do nothing on his own and requires assistance for even mundane tasks.

4. Check for Physical Symptoms

Agoraphobia reactions are very similar to panic attacks. Symptoms include feelings of dizziness or light-headedness, difficulty breathing, flushed skin, excessive sweating and a sense of being out of control. In many cases, simply anticipating them can trigger these symptoms, as the agoraphobic worries so much about an attack that the onset becomes inevitable.

5. Examine the Root Cause of Agoraphobia

Causes of agoraphobia vary by individual, but a few broad trends predominate. A large percentage of agoraphobics are women, and the condition is often engendered by a different condition known as panic disorder. The agoraphobia rises from the fear of having a panic attack, the worry that no one will be able to help and the perceived social stigma of "losing control" in a public place. It can stem from overprotective parents, hypercritical parents or parents who stress the dangers of the world excessively. The causes may be hereditary or biological as well, depending upon individual circumstances.