Agoraphobia Rehab: Treatment for Symptoms, Root Causes, & More

Agoraphobia, the fear of situations that are difficult to escape, is an anxiety disorder that can negatively impact your health.

This mental health condition was formerly grouped with panic disorder because it often develops in people who experience panic attacks. They become fearful of stressful situations that could induce panic attacks.

But with proper treatment from a mental health professional, you or a loved one who suffers from agoraphobia can learn to manage it and restore your quality of life.

Situations that trigger agoraphobia are different for each person, but commonly include elevators, public transportation, or crowds. The symptoms associated with each of these situations also vary based on the person and the specific trigger.

Proper treatment of agoraphobia can get to the root causes of these symptoms and help you live a more fulfilling life.

Some of the causes and risk factors for agoraphobia include:

• Panic attacks
• Adverse childhood experiences, such as grief
• Having overprotective parents
• Experiencing little warmth from parents
• Traumatic childhood events
• Experiencing night terrors or fears as a child

Through psychotherapy and medication, clinicians can help you discover the root causes of your condition and develop a personalized treatment plan.

Symptoms of agoraphobia can include a range of psychological and physical symptoms. These symptoms can have a severe negative impact on your physical, mental, and social health.

Common symptoms of agoraphobia can include:

• Nausea
• Avoidance behavior
• Feeling lightheaded
• Feeling a sense of impending doom
• Choking
• Fear of being alone
• Rapid heartbeat
• Feeling that the body is not real
• Sweating
• Anger or agitation
• Chest pain
• Fear of losing control publicly

The treatment approaches to these symptoms most often include medication, such as antidepressants, and talk therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

As with other phobias, you may face agoraphobia side effects that can complicate and sometimes extend treatment.

Some of these side effects can include co-occurring and related disorders that may further exacerbate your agoraphobia symptoms.

Side effects of agoraphobia include:

• Alcohol or drug abuse: Substance abuse often develops as a result of self-medicating to cope with the intense fear. These co-occurring disorders frequently require dual diagnosis treatment.
• Panic disorder: This related disorder can sometimes be the root cause of agoraphobia, requiring that it be treated concurrently.
• Depression: People can isolate themselves, becoming lonely and sometimes depressed, requiring dual diagnosis treatment for this co-occurring disorder.
• Suicidal ideation: People facing agoraphobia can experience thoughts of suicide that may require crisis intervention to stabilize.

While it is often thought of as the fear of crowded, open spaces, certain types of agoraphobia can include a fear of enclosed spaces as well, such as public transportation or planes.

Different types of agoraphobia include the fear of:

• Public transportation
• Standing in line
• Being in public places
• Being in enclosed spaces such as stores
• Being alone outside of home
• Being in parking lots or other open spaces

These different types of agoraphobia are often treated together, because they require essentially the same form of therapy, just applied differently.

For example, clinicians using exposure therapy may take you to different locations depending on the specific types of agoraphobia you are facing.

When teaching you systematic desensitization, your clinician may focus on the specific situations that cause you intense levels of fear.

When attending mental health rehab for agoraphobia, several treatments and levels of care may be appropriate for you.

Depending on the severity of your condition, it may be appropriate for you to attend a residential rehab program or receive treatment through outpatient care.

In residential treatment programs, you live at a treatment facility in either a short-term (30 days) or long-term (more than 30 days) capacity.

While there, you receive intensive treatments that instruct you on how to manage your condition and empower you to take control of your recovery. Residential treatment is a step down from hospitalization, which may be offered as a form of crisis intervention.

Outpatient treatment allows you to receive varying intensities of care while you live at home. Each outpatient level of care transitions you back to your daily life as you learn to manage your agoraphobia.

Levels of outpatient care for agoraphobia treatment include:

• Partial hospitalization program (PHP): PHP provides intensive treatment for eight hours a day, five days a week, offering therapy, support groups, and other treatments.
• Intensive outpatient program (IOP): IOP is a step down from PHP and provides treatment in morning or evening sessions, three to five days a week.
• Outpatient program (OP): OP is the final transition back to your daily routine, offering about an hour each week that focuses on relapse prevention and other treatments.

Evidence-based therapies have been shown to help manage agoraphobia symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of talk therapy that is broadly applied to a range of disorders, including substance abuse, depression, and other co-occurring disorders.

CBT can help you manage stress through reframing unhealthy thought patterns and applying relaxation techniques. It can also include systematic desensitization that teaches you to relax, then imagine with increasing intensity the situations that cause fear.

Exposure therapy is also used to address agoraphobia. Through this therapy, a healthcare provider exposes you to the situations that you are afraid of, increasing your resistance.

Talk therapy is often used with prescribed medication to treat agoraphobia and other anxiety disorders.

Medication includes antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).

It can also include limited prescriptions of sedatives or benzodiazepines, such as Xanax, to help control panic attacks and other anxiety symptoms.

Other treatments for agoraphobia can include holistic treatments that teach you about managing a healthy lifestyle. These treatments focus on a healthy, nutritional diet, exercise, and maintaining good sleeping habits.

People who have been through a mental health rehab program may need additional help once they have transitioned back to daily life.

Fortunately, community resources are available for long-term agoraphobia management:

• The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) offers peer-to-peer support groups that help people talk through their struggles with anxiety and depression.
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers support groups for both people facing mental health conditions and their family members.
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) provides a website, FindTreatment.gov, that helps you find appropriate treatment offerings in your area.

If you, a loved one, or a family member is struggling with agoraphobia, you can find top-reviewed treatment centers today.

With the proper treatment, you can learn to manage your condition and find your mental well-being again.

Start your journey to mental wellness today.