DEFINITION:
The term “agoraphobia” refers to a type of anxiety disorder characterized by a fear of social situations which the sufferer experiences as threatening and from which it is difficult or impossible to escape.
Situations that individuals with agoraphobia find threatening may include crowds, commercial establishments, government and professional offices, shopping centers, public transportation, or simply being away their home, especially if they are alone.
ETYMOLOGY:
The term “agoraphobia” was introduced into the medical literature by the German psychiatrist Karl Friedrich Otto Westphal (1833–1890) in an 1871 journal article entitled “Die Agoraphobie, eine neuropathische Erscheinung” [Agoraphobia, A Neuropathological Phenomenon].
The English term “agoraphobia” is attested from two years after Westphal’s article, in 1873. It is a New Latin word, meaning a word invented in recent times on the basis of the Classical Latin and Greek lexicons.
“Agoraphobia” is composed of the following two elements:
(1) The Greek noun agora, meaning “assembly,” “place of assembly,” or “marketplace”; and
(2) The Late Latin noun phobia, meaning “fear,” which is attested in English from the eighteenth century. The Late Latin word phobia, in turn, derives from the Greek noun phobos, meaning “fear, “terror,” “fright,” or “dismay.”
DISCUSSION:
Patients suffering from agoraphobia are fearful of social interaction with strangers and, more generally, with the wider world outside of their own home.
The fears of agoraphobic patients may manifest to different degrees, depending on the circumstances. Symptoms may vary from relatively mild to full-blown panic attacks.
Agoraphobia sufferers will go to great lengths to avoid fear-inducing situations. In the worst cases, they may be unable to leave their homes.
Agoraphobia may be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Among the latter, we may mention the chronic use of tranquilizers and sleeping pills, notably, benzodiazepines.
Agoraphobia may be associated with other syndromes, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder.