TYPES OF AGORAPHOBIA

                  AGORAPHOBIA

Fear of crowds is one of the numerous types of agoraphobia. While most people dislike crowded places, an individual who struggles with agoraphobia might feel severe anxiety at a concert, where they may search for a way out or away from the crowd, in a panic.

Panic disorders and agoraphobia are closely related. In the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the diagnostic manual used by psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health professionals, two types of agoraphobia include panic disorder with agoraphobia and agoraphobia without a history of panic disorder.

Additionally, different forms of agoraphobia include:

• Paranoid agoraphobia
• Claustrophobia
• Disorganized agoraphobia
• Catatonic agoraphobia
• Enochlophobia

The difference between the two diagnosable types of agoraphobia is the presence of a panic disorder or frequent panic attacks.

Paranoid Agoraphobia

Paranoid agoraphobia is a combination of two conditions: paranoia and agoraphobia. Paranoia is the presence of false beliefs or heavily concentrating on something that is true, which often causes someone to feel endangered or threatened. Agoraphobia, on the other hand, is an extreme fear of feeling out of your comfort zone and not being able to escape.

Paranoia and agoraphobia may seem similar, as both conditions involve extreme fear and a reluctance to leave home. However, paranoia is based on fixed, false beliefs. Conversely, agoraphobia is associated with a fear of having a panic attack or failing to receive help while in an uncomfortable situation.

Who does paranoid personality disorder affect?

Overall, research reveals higher rates of paranoid personality disorder (PPD) in people assigned female at birth (AFAB), while samples from hospital records reveal higher rates of PPD in people assigned male at birth (AMAB).

People with PPD are more likely to:

Live in low-income households.

Be Black, Native American or Hispanic.

Be widowed, divorced or separated or never married.

More research is needed to learn more about why these risk factors are associated with PPD and how stress and trauma play a role in its development.

Claustrophobia

Individuals suffering from claustrophobia fear small, confined spaces. Their extreme levels of anxiety cause them to avoid small spaces do to fight over being confined or trapped. Claustrophobia is a fairly common condition, which can dissipate or with effective treatment for claustrophobia.

What causes claustrophobia?

What causes claustrophobia isn’t fully understood. Researchers believe causes might include:

• A traumatic event as a child: Some adults with claustrophobia report one or more events where they were trapped or confined to a tight space as a child.
• A triggering event after childhood: You may have had a triggering event such as you got stuck in an elevator or experienced severe turbulence on an airplane.
• Childhood exposure to a parent’s claustrophobia: You may develop claustrophobia if you felt the anxieties of one of your parent’s reaction to confined spaces.

Symptoms of claustrophobia are similar to symptoms of anxiety and a panic attack. You may experience:

Physical symptoms

1. Sweating or shaking.
2. Tightness in chest or rapid heartbeat.
3. Trouble breathing or breathing fast.
4. Chills or flushing (red, hot face).
5. Choking feeling.

Emotional symptoms

1. Fear of losing control.
2. Fear of fainting.
3. Feelings of dread.
4. Feeling overwhelming anxiety.
5. Feeling an intense need to leave the situation.
6. Understanding that the fear isn’t rational, but you can’t overcome it.
7. Fear of dying.

Disorganized Agoraphobia

Because people with agoraphobia often have difficulty maintaining their mental and physical balance, they rely more on visual and tactical senses. Their visual and tactile signals can become distorted if incorrectly translated by the brain. The individual may feel like they are going to fall as they feel the wind blow while walking over a bridge. Because their sense of balance is not accurate, the communication between their five senses and their brain becomes disorganized and the person struggles to feel stable. This miscommunication can create severe panic.

Catatonic Agoraphobia

The catatonic state is a phrase used to describe the inability to move in an ordinary way. Catatonic agoraphobia causes an inability to speak or move when placed in a situation of fear. Picking up a jar, entering a room or rising from the sitting position can be difficult for these individuals. The person may panic and struggle to carry out tasks, which can be dangerous. For example, some people experience catatonic agoraphobia when attempting to drive across a bridge. 

What are the symptoms of catatonia?

The signs and symptoms of catatonia can vary from person to person, based on what caused it.

The DSM-5 lists 12 key symptoms.

To reach a diagnosis, a health professional will try to identify three or more of these

1. Stupor: There’s no movement or interaction with surroundings.
2. Catalepsy: The person may hold a fixed posture when someone moves their limbs.
3. Wavy flexibility: There may be slight resistance to the new position when the limbs are moved.
4. Mutism: This means speaking very little, if at all.
5. Negativism: The person ignores or resists directions, not responding to stimuli.
6. Posturing: This means taking and holding a fixed posture.
7. Mannerism: The person makes unusual, often exaggerated, movements, gestures, and speech.
8. Stereotypy: This means making repeated, frequent movements that have no purpose.
9. Agitation: The person has increased, restless movement.
10. Grimacing: The person moves their face in a way that expresses disapproval or pain.
11. Echolalia: This means repeating what other people say.
12. Echopraxia: This means copying other people’s movements.

Enochlophobia

Enochlophobia is a common social phobia that involves an irrational fear of large crowds. Women tend to be affected by this condition more than men. Individuals with Enochlophobia tend to avoid events such as concerts and sporting events due to extreme worry.

Causes

While the exact cause of enochlophobia isn’t known, it’s thought that phobias may be linked to anxiety disorders.

They may also be learned or hereditary. If one of your parents has a history of fearing crowds, then you might’ve picked up on their phobias as a child and eventually developed some of the same fears yourself.

Though a certain phobia may run in your family, you could also develop a different type of phobia from your parents and relatives. For example, one person might have agoraphobia or social phobia, while you might have enochlophobia.

Negative past experiences can also lead to a fear of crowds.