Agoraphobia Essay
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
90 Entering a busy street on my own. Just as classical conditioning can lead to the acquisition of agoraphobia, classical conditioning techniques can also be used to eliminate or extinguish it. The technique by which agoraphobia can be extinguished is called systematic desensitisation. Systematic desensitisation is a behaviour therapy used to reduce phobic people's anxiety responses through counterconditioning (Weiten, 1998). This technique involves the person being exposed to the situation or place that frightens them, in order to overcome their anxiety. Systematic desensitisation includes three steps. The first step is to help the person construct an anxiety hierarchy. An anxiety hierarchy is a list of stimuli related to the specific source of anxiety, in this case being in a busy public place. The stimuli are ranked from the least to the most feared or avoided. An example of an anxiety hierarchy for someone with agoraphobia might include: 35 Walking through the front door and standing outside with someone else. 45 Walking away from the front door towards the street with someone else.
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Approximate Word count = 1244
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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