I know someone who suffers from agoraphobia.
Really? What is agoraphobia? Is that one of the anxiety disorders?
It's the fear of wide open spaces. It can also be fear of crowds, which would cause social anxiety and even traveling short distances.
it is uncommon for agoraphobia to resolve. Treatment is typically with a type of counselling called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT results in resolution for about half of people. Agoraphobia affects about 1.7% of adults. Women are affected about twice as often as men. The condition often begins in early adulthood and becomes less common in old age. It is rare in children. The term "agoraphobia" is from Greek ἀγορά, "agorá", meaning a "public square" and -φοβία, "-phobia",
meaning "fear".
Signs and symptoms.
Agoraphobia is a condition where sufferers become anxious in unfamiliar environments or where they perceive that they have little control. Triggers for this anxiety may include wide-open spaces, crowds (social anxiety), or traveling (even short distances). Agoraphobia is often, but not always, compounded by a fear of social embarrassment, as the agoraphobic fears the onset of a panic attack and appearing distraught in public. Most of the time they avoid these areas and stay in