{"id":8188,"date":"2021-02-05T22:01:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T22:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.talkspace.com\/mental-health\/conditions\/?page_id=8188"},"modified":"2023-04-19T18:24:50","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T18:24:50","slug":"agoraphobia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.talkspace.com\/mental-health\/conditions\/agoraphobia\/","title":{"rendered":"Agoraphobia"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t<hr class=\"section-sidebar-visible\" \/>\r\n\t\t<!--section-reviewed -->\r\n\t\t<div class=\"section-reviewed-by section-sidebar-visible\">\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<!--media -->\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"media\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<!--media-right -->\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"media-left media-middle\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-thumbail\" style=\"background-image:url('https:\/\/www.talkspace.com\/mental-health\/conditions\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/ashley-ertel-headshot-300x300.jpg');\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<!--media-right -->\r\n\t\t\t\t<!--media-body -->\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"media-body media-middle\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"reviewed-by-title\">Medically reviewed by<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<h6 class=\"reviewed-by-author font-bold\" style=\"display:none;\">Ashley Ertel<\/h6>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<h6 class=\"reviewed-by-author font-bold\">Ashley Ertel, LCSW, BCD<\/h6>\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Reviewed On: February 5, 2021<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<!--media-body -->\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>  \r\n\t\t\t<!--media -->\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<!--section-reviewed -->\r\n\r\n\t<hr class=\"section-sidebar-visible\" \/>\r\n\r\n\t\t\r\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t<section class=\"faq section\" id=\"section-faq\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-new\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"accordion-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"javascript:;\">What kind of medication can help treat agoraphobia?<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><p>For agoraphobia, doctors may prescribe anti-anxiety medications or antidepressants, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.talkspace.com\/blog\/ssri-drugs-antidepressant-medication\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"javascript:;\">What are some coping strategies for agoraphobia?<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><p>Some tips for managing agoraphobia include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Prioritize self-care<\/strong>: When in a heightened state of anxiety it can be hard to meet your basic needs. Prioritizing balanced eating throughout the day, getting enough sleep, and incorporating movement can improve mental health day to day.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Relaxation<\/strong>: Practice relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, muscle relaxation, and deep breathing exercises.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t avoid triggers:\u00a0<\/strong>Do your best to minimize the avoidance of triggering situations. The more you challenge yourself to stay in these situations the less frightening they become.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid substances<\/strong>: Limit substance use, including alcohol, caffeine, and recreational drugs. These substances can increase the intensity of anxiety.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stay connected<\/strong>: Embrace the support of loved ones who want to be there for you. Express to them how they can help you and be there for you. Know you have them to fall back on during scary moments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stick with treatment<\/strong>: Stay consistent in following your treatment plan. Going to therapy regularly and taking medication as prescribed makes treatment more effective. Be open with your providers about how you\u2019re doing so they can support you in your recovery.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ultimately, seeing a licensed mental health professional is the best way to treat agoraphobia. Help is available and you\u00a0<em>can<\/em>\u00a0recover from this anxiety disorder. It can be intimidating to start the treatment process, but know that many people struggle to take the first step. Talkspace online therapy is a convenient and inexpensive place to start, offering affordable online therapy with just a few clicks. You can engage with expert therapists from the comfort of your home.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n\t\t{\n\t\t  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t\t  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n\t\t  \"mainEntity\": [\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t  \"@type\": \"Question\",\n\t\t\t\t\t  \"name\": \"What kind of medication can help treat agoraphobia?\",\n\t\t\t\t\t  \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Answer\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"text\": \"<p>For agoraphobia, doctors may prescribe anti-anxiety medications or antidepressants, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.talkspace.com\/blog\/ssri-drugs-antidepressant-medication\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t  }\n\t\t\t\t\t},\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t  \"@type\": \"Question\",\n\t\t\t\t\t  \"name\": \"What are some coping strategies for agoraphobia?\",\n\t\t\t\t\t  \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Answer\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"text\": \"<p>Some tips for managing agoraphobia include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Prioritize self-care<\/strong>: When in a heightened state of anxiety it can be hard to meet your basic needs. Prioritizing balanced eating throughout the day, getting enough sleep, and incorporating movement can improve mental health day to day.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Relaxation<\/strong>: Practice relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, muscle relaxation, and deep breathing exercises.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t avoid triggers:\u00a0<\/strong>Do your best to minimize the avoidance of triggering situations. The more you challenge yourself to stay in these situations the less frightening they become.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid substances<\/strong>: Limit substance use, including alcohol, caffeine, and recreational drugs. These substances can increase the intensity of anxiety.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stay connected<\/strong>: Embrace the support of loved ones who want to be there for you. Express to them how they can help you and be there for you. Know you have them to fall back on during scary moments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stick with treatment<\/strong>: Stay consistent in following your treatment plan. Going to therapy regularly and taking medication as prescribed makes treatment more effective. Be open with your providers about how you\u2019re doing so they can support you in your recovery.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ultimately, seeing a licensed mental health professional is the best way to treat agoraphobia. Help is available and you\u00a0<em>can<\/em>\u00a0recover from this anxiety disorder. It can be intimidating to start the treatment process, but know that many people struggle to take the first step. Talkspace online therapy is a convenient and inexpensive place to start, offering affordable online therapy with just a few clicks. You can engage with expert therapists from the comfort of your home.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t  }\n\t\t\t\t\t},\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  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on%20with%20agoraphobia%20as%20it%20often%20presents%20with%20other%3Ca%20href=%5C%22https:\/\/www.talkspace.com\/blog\/we-need-to-get-better-at-talking-about-mental-illness\/%5C%22%3E%C2%A0%3C\/a%3Emental%20health%20conditions.%20This%20could%20be%20another%20anxiety%20disorder%20or%20a%20different%20type%20of%20mental%20health%20condition%20such%20as%20depression,%20personality%20disorders,%20or%20substance%20abuse.%3C\/p%3E%5Cn%3Cp%3EEnvironmental%20stress%20is%20also%20a%20significant%20factor%20in%20causing%20agoraphobia.%20History%20of%20abuse%20or%20traumatic%20life%20events,%20such%20as%20the%20death%20of%20a%20loved%20one%20or%20being%20attacked,%20can%20lead%20to%20fearing%20places%20that%20are%20overwhelming%20and%20lack%20an%20easy%20exit.%20This%20trauma,%20especially%20when%20combined%20with%20a%20predisposition%20towards%20anxiety,%20can%20lead%20to%20the%20onset%20of%20agoraphobia%20in%20people%20of%20all%20ages,%20but%20especially%20those%20in%20adolescence%20and%20young%20adulthood.%3C\/p%3E%5Cn%3Cp%3EClearly%20many%20factors%20contribute%20to%20agoraphobia,%20so%20if%20you%E2%80%99re%20experiencing%20symptoms%20of%20agoraphobia%20and%20relate%20to%20some%20or%20all%20these%20experiences,%20please%20seek%20out%20the%20help%20and%20advice%20of%20a%20mental%20health%20professional.%3C\/p%3E%22,%22overview-button-text%22:%22%22,%22overview-button-url%22:%22%22%7D%5D","cta-title":"Convenient and secure therapy for agoraphobia","cta-image":"%7B%22alt%22:%22%22,%22title%22:%22TS-CTA-Illustration-1%22,%22caption%22:%22%22,%22description%22:%7B%22raw%22:%22%22,%22rendered%22:%22%3Cp%20class=%5C%22attachment%5C%22%3E%3Ca%20href='https:\/\/www.talkspace.com\/mental-health\/conditions\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/TS-CTA-Illustration-1.png'%3E%3Cimg%20width=%5C%22216%5C%22%20height=%5C%22300%5C%22%20src=%5C%22https:\/\/www.talkspace.com\/mental-health\/conditions\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/TS-CTA-Illustration-1-216x300.png%5C%22%20class=%5C%22attachment-medium%20size-medium%5C%22%20alt=%5C%22%5C%22%20decoding=%5C%22async%5C%22%20srcset=%5C%22https:\/\/www.talkspace.com\/mental-health\/conditions\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/TS-CTA-Illustration-1-216x300.png%20216w,%20https:\/\/www.talkspace.com\/mental-health\/conditions\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/TS-CTA-Illustration-1.png%20464w%5C%22%20sizes=%5C%22(max-width:%20216px)%20100vw,%20216px%5C%22%20\/%3E%3C\/a%3E%3C\/p%3E%5Cn%22%7D,%22id%22:9832,%22link%22:%22https:\/\/www.talkspace.com\/mental-health\/conditions\/?attachment_id=9832%22,%22url%22:%22https:\/\/www.talkspace.com\/mental-health\/conditions\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/TS-CTA-Illustration-1.png%22,%22sizes%22:%22%22%7D","cta-button-text":"Get 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