Agoraphobia (cont.)
Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD
Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
In this Article
- What is agoraphobia?
- What causes agoraphobia?
- What are the symptoms of agoraphobia?
- What are the risk factors for agoraphobia?
- When should one seek medical care for agoraphobia?
- How is agoraphobia diagnosed?
- How is agoraphobia treated?
- What are the complications of agoraphobia?
- Is there coping and support information for both agoraphobia patients and their family members and loved ones?
- Agoraphobia At A Glance
- Find a local Psychiatrist in your town
What are the complications of agoraphobia?
Agoraphobia increases the likelihood that the person will also suffer from another anxiety disorder and that both conditions will be more severe and difficult to treat. Also, agoraphobia tends to occur more often in individuals who have a number of different physical conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and asthma. If left untreated, agoraphobia may worsen to the point at which the person's life is seriously affected by the disease itself and/or by attempts to avoid or conceal it. In fact, some people have had problems with friends and family, failed in school, and/or lost jobs while struggling to cope with severe agoraphobia or another severe phobia. There may be periods of spontaneous improvement, but the condition does not usually go away unless the person receives treatments designed specifically to help phobia sufferers. Further, alcoholics can be up to 10 times more likely to suffer from a phobia than those who are not alcoholics, and phobic individuals can be twice as likely to be addicted to alcohol as are people who have never been phobic.
Is there coping and support information for both agoraphobia patients and their family members and loved ones?
The following organizations can provide information, self-help tips, and/or support for individuals experiencing agoraphobia as well as their families.
ABIL (Agoraphobics Building Independent Lives), Inc.
3805 Cutshaw Ave., Suite 415
Richmond, VA 23230
Phone: 804-353-3964
Fax: 804-353-3687
abil1996@aol.com
Agoraphobics in Motion
1719 Crooks
Royal Oak, MI 48067-1306
Phone: 248-547-0400
http://www.aim-hq.org
anny@ameritech.net
American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry
http://www.aacap.org
American Counseling Association
http://www.counseling.org
American Psychiatric Association
http://www.psych.org
American Psychological Association
http://helping.apa.org
Anxiety Disorders
Association of America
8730 Georgia Ave., Ste. 600
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Voice: 240-485-1001
Fax: 240-485-1035
http://www.adaa.org/
Council on Anxiety Disorders
Route 1, Box 1364
Clarkesville, GA 30523
Phone: 706-947-3854
Fax: 706-947-1265
slvau@stc.net
Freedom From Fear
http://www.freedomfromfear.org
National Anxiety Foundation
3135 Custer Dr.
Lexington, KY 40517-4001
606-272-7166
National Association of
Social Workers
http://www.naswdc.org
National Mental Health Association
http://www.nmha.org
National Panic/Anxiety Disorder News, Inc.
http://www.npadnews.com
Phobics Anonymous
619-322-COPE
Next: Agoraphobia At A Glance
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