Agoraphobia Treatment

The goal of agoraphobia treatment is to help the agoraphobic function effectively. The success of agoraphobia treatment usually depends upon the severity of the agoraphobia. Systematic desensitization or graded real-life exposure, called "exposure-therapy", is a behavioral technique used to treat phobias in general.

Exposure as an agoraphobia treatment is based upon having the agoraphobic relax, then imagine the components of the phobia, working from the least fearful to the most fearful. The individual will work with a therapist to develop coping strategies such as relaxation and breathing techniques.

While "in vivo" or real-life exposure is the ideal agoraphobia treatment, imagined exposure is also an acceptable alternative in desensitization exercises. Agoraphobia treatment with exposure therapy reduced anxiety and improved morale and quality of life in nearly 3 of 4 cases.

Other types of agoraphobia treatment such as cognitive therapy, assertiveness training, biofeedback, hypnosis, meditation, relaxation or couples therapy were found to be helpful for some patients. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a combination of cognitive therapy, which can modify or eliminate thought patterns contributing to the patient's symptoms and behavioral therapy which aims to help the patient change his or her behavior.

Agoraphobia treatment is complicated by the fact that often patients have difficulty getting to appointments because of their fears. To address this issue, some therapists will go to an agoraphobic patient's home to conduct the initial sessions. Often therapists take their patients on excursions to shopping malls and other places the patients have been avoiding. Or they may accompany their patients who are trying to overcome fear of driving a car.

The patient approaches a feared situation gradually, attempting to stay in spite of rising levels of anxiety. In this way the patient sees that as frightening as the feelings are, they are not dangerous, and they do pass. On each attempt, the patient faces as much fear as he or she can stand. Patients find that with this step-by-step approach, aided by encouragement and skilled advice from the therapist, they can gradually master their fears and enter situations that had seemed unapproachable before agoraphobia treatment.

Agoraphobia treatment can also be medicinal. In this treatment approach, a prescription medication is used both to prevent panic attacks or reduce their frequency and severity and to decrease the associated anticipatory anxiety. When patients find that their panic attacks are less frequent and severe, they are increasingly able to venture into situations that had been off-limits to them. In this way, they benefit from exposure to previously feared situations as well as from the medication.