Agoraphobia and its Impact on a Person's Life
A phobic disorder is marked by a persistent and irrational fear of an object or situation that presents no realistic danger. Agoraphobia is an intense, irrational fear or anxiety occasioned by the prospect of having to enter certain outdoor locations or open spaces. For example, busy streets, busy stores, tunnels, bridges, public transportation and cars. Traditionally agoraphobia was solely classified as a phobic disorder. However, due to recent studies it is now also viewed as a panic disorder. Panic disorders are characterised by recurrent attacks of overwhelming anxiety that usually occur suddenly and unexpectedly (Weiten, 1998).
For a person diagnosed with agoraphobia, there are a number of restrictions and consequences associated with the disorder. A serious consequence is the incidence of severe and paralysing panic attacks. In the early stages of agoraphobia people suffer recurring panic attacks when in certain public places or situations. These attacks cause the person to feel generally uncomfortable in public settings. Eventually, fear of the recurrence of the panic attacks results in an obvious reluctance or refusal to enter all situations associated with the attacks. Other consequences of agoraphobia may include fear of being alone, fear of being in places where escape might be difficult, feelings of helplessness, dependence on others and depression. These consequences place many serious restrictions on a person with this disorder. Agoraphobia causes people to restrict their activities to smaller and smaller areas in order to avoid crowds, and open and public places or situations. This may finally lead to the inability of a person to leave their home without suffering a panic attack.
As with all other phobias, agoraphobia is often acquired through classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus (Weiten, 1998). Describing and explaining exactly how agoraphobia is acquired can be achieved by identifying the antecedents of the phobia. Antecedents are the events that precede a particular response. In the case of agoraphobia, this response is a panic attack. Agoraphobia is essentially anxiety of three kinds, phobic anxiety, panic anxiety (the panic attacks), and phobic a...
... middle of paper ...
...hobic pattern has been broken (Weiten, 1998).
The procedures leading to the acquisition and elimination of agoraphobia are based on a number of behavioural principles. The underlying principle is that of classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus (Weiten, 1998). Eliminating agoraphobia is basically achieving self-control through behaviour modification. Behaviour modification is systematically changing behaviour through the application of the principles of conditioning (Weiten, 1998). The specific principle used here is systematic desensitisation. The two basic responses displayed are anxiety and relaxation, which are incompatible responses. Systematic desensitisation works by reconditioning people so that the conditioned stimulus elicits relaxation instead of anxiety. This is called counterconditioning. Counterconditioning is an attempt to reverse the process of classical conditioning by associating the crucial stimulus with a new conditioned response (Weiten, 1998). This technique's effectiveness in eliminating agoraphobia is well documented.
Agoraphobia can be divided into two word parts: agora, a Greek term meaning “marketplace” and phobia, meaning “the fear of something” (Miller, 2011). It is the fear of being in a communal or open place (Miller, 2011). When people have agoraphobia, they often evade situations that may cause them to panic, such as crowded places, leaving a common place, being unaccompanied, or being confined or humiliated (“Agoraphobia,” 2011; “Agoraphobia,” 2014). People often become imprisoned in their own home because they do not feel safe in public places or crowded places, such as malls, planes, sporting events, elevators, or public transportation (“Agoraphobia,” 2011). Initiating treatment can be difficult because it means facing the fear, but a combination of therapy and medicine can reduce the symptoms substantially (“Agoraphobia,” 2011; Miller, 2011).
The feeling of entrapment added to the urgency in the tone and mood. Often times when one is trapped he starts to panic. Since the novel was written in first person point of view from the viewpoints of the main characters in the book, the reader felt the same sense of panic that the characters felt. After the characters had been “released” from their entrapment feeling, they were dreading the thought of being trapped again. The character’s feeling of entrapment undoubtedly added to the feeling of urgency, panic, and dread in the tone and mood of the
Agoraphobia is derived from the Greek words agora, meaning “gathering place” or “assembly” which was used to describe a city’s marketplace, and phobia meaning “fear.” It literally means "fear of the marketplace." Carl Westphal first coined the term “agoraphobia” in 1871 to describe people who were afraid of large open spaces. Since then, the definition of agoraphobia has been modified and continues to develop as more research is done. (Barlow, 2002, p. 328) The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) defines the essential trait of agoraphobia as "marked, or intense, fear or anxiety triggered by the real or anticipated exposure to a wide range of situations." (p 218) It is the most common phobia. To further understand agoraphobia, this essay will explore the characteristics, causes, being a Christian with agoraphobia, and the treatments.
Imagine being diagnosed with a disease that is going to kill you, but then you learn that you cannot do anything to avoid the pain it will cause you. The palliative care you will receive will only be able to provide slight comfort. You look at the options and consult with your physician, and decide physician-assisted suicide, or PAS, is what you want. Within the last two decades, the argument regarding physician-assisted suicide has grown. While some believe that death should be "natural", physician-assisted suicide helps the terminally ill maintain their dignity while dying. Physician assisted suicide should be a viable option for those diagnosed with a terminal illness. It provides a permanent relief to the pain and suffering that is involved
This is when characters in a novel are trapped within something and they feel that there is no possible way to escape. This sets a mood of being scared for the characters and it is also very suspenseful for both the characters and the audience. Bram Stoker uses the motif, entrapment, in numerous ways throughout the novel. The first example would be at the beginning of the novel when Jonathan Harker is trapped inside Dracula’s castle. The doors are all locked and there is no way for Jonathan to escape. Jonathan is beginning to feel like a prisoner and in no time is wondering if he will ever be able to get out of Dracula’s castle and be able to see Mina again. Even when Jonathan tries to get help by sending out letters to Mina, he wakes up one morning and finds that all of his paper and pens are gone. He later comes to the conclusion that Dracula must have been the one behind the disappearance of his paper and pens. To Jonathan, this was more proof that he was a prisoner in Dracula’s castle and that it was going to be very difficult trying to get out of Dracula’s castle because he now had no way of getting in touch with someone to rescue him. Jonathan being trapped inside Dracula’s castle creates a suspenseful mood and when he is writing down his experiences in his journal, the audience can tell that he is very scared and has a fearful
In the general population, less than five percent of people experience panic disorders, and only six percent develop agoraphobia during their lives, (MacNeil 2001). A diagnosis of panic disorder is given when panic attacks turn into a common occurrence, for no apparent reason and the person begins to change their behaviour because of the constant fear of having a panic attack. Someone suffering from agoraphobia has a fear of being somewhere where help will not be provided in case of an emergency; one third to one half of people diagnosed with panic disorders develops agoraphobia, (Hoeksema & Rector, 2011, p. 204). Research has examined two well-known ways a panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) can be treated: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) (alone and combined with two other medications) and Experimental Cognitive Therapy (ECT). Examining the research allows for a comparison of each treatment, along with a discussion of implications, resulting in determining which treatment is the most effective for someone who suffers from a panic disorder with agoraphobia.
Severe anxiety, which can be described as an episode of terror, is referred to as a panic attack. Panic attacks can be extremely frightening. People who experience panic attacks over a prolonged time period may become victims of agoraphobia, which is a psychiatric disorder that is closely associated with the panic disorder. Patients with Agoraphobia avoid certain places or situations such as airplanes, crowded theaters, a grocery store or anyplace from which escape might be difficult. It is said that Agoraphobia can be so severe that it has made certain individuals housebound.
Paranormal sightings should be taken into consideration because there could be other things among us, besides humans in this world. I believe there are ghosts because some ghosts get stuck in the middle of heaven and hell. So they don't know where to go, so they just stay here on earth. People have seen ghosts before, but others won't believe until they see it for themselves. Now people have seen sightings of ghosts all over the world.
Though unaware of his imprisonment at first, Jonathan realizes that he is a captive at Castle Dracula after finding locked doors throughout the castle and being forced to write letters of his absence to his homeland. Luckily Jonathan escapes and is able to make it back home without being harmed by the Count. Lucy and Mina experience a different type of imprisonment as they are bitten and trapped in a declining state of health which proves to be fatal for Lucy and almost kills Mina, who is saved by the timely death of Dracula at the hands of Quincey and Jonathan. Even though the disease causes Mina’s health to decline, it proves useful when the team uses it to locate Dracula while retreating to his castle. Renfield is imprisoned in yet another way than the others, he suffers from a mental disorder for which he is confined in the mental hospital at which Dr. Seward works. Though each character's scenario is different, they all combine to create a great example of this motif in the
In case one the Subject Ann has a disproportionate fear of being away from home unaccompanied, as well as various open spaces, events, and even while driving the car. A result of this fear is that Ann rarely leaves her home, and when she does, she seeks escape or needs an immediate relative to accompany her. These symptoms have developed over a period of three years, and could be used to diagnose agoraphobia in Ann.
Agoraphobia is a psychological disorder characterised by panic and anxiety. This particular anxiety disorder involves the fear of experiencing a panic attack in a public place where safety may be unavailable, which causes discomfort (Lilienfeld, 2017). This disorder is commonly recognized in women and often arises during adolescent years. Often times, people develop agoraphobia after a previous panic attacks, which than causes them to worry about having another in the future (Agoraphobia, 2017). This results in avoidant behaviours, such as evading places where an attack may occur. There are many causes, symptoms, effects on both the individual with the disorder and their loved ones, as well as a variety of treatments available.
Ghosts, as with any other misunderstood group or people, have been preyed upon by others without understanding. The lack of knowledge about ghosts and haunting activity has led people astray as to what they really are. What Hollywood and television portrays is very inaccurate and cannot be relied upon as truthful. They show these spirits of the dead as being evil in nature, filled with malice and harmful intent. But that this is not the case. The field of paranormal activity is amazing. It has caught the imagination of people from every walk of life. It has always interested me and has influenced me to pick this as the topic for my research. Through this research I wish to uncover the truth about the existence of ghosts. I also wish to correct the wrong notions that people have about ghosts and enlighten non-believers.
With the recent technological advances, ghost hunters have been able to find more ghosts and search better than before. Embracing this new technology can provide us great insight into the world of the ghosts by showing us how strong they are, what kind of energy they use, and how they look like. Science has given ghost hunters the technology, now ghost hunters can apply it to their trade.
Are ghosts real? That is the question that most of society deliberates day after day. The true definition of a ghost is a soul or spirit of a deceased individual that can appear in visible form or other manifestations to the living. Ghosts are of the most common paranormal belief in the world. Most people believe in ghosts because of a personal experience, whether that was seeing or sensing an unexplained presence. Who wouldn’t want to believe that our beloved family members are looking for us?
For many years, people have debated whether or not spirits are real. Some people get scared at the fact that there might be something unknown lurking in their house in the middle of the night making their footsteps known to everyone in it. Maybe that person feels watched upon or feel some kind of presence in their home, or even sees shadows moving their way through rooms. Different people around the world have their own opinions based on religion and experiences when talking about angels, demons, and the spirits that have life after death. New technology is getting closer to detecting these energies happening in the world today. The history of haunting dates back many years, and more people want to get involved because of the new technology.