Agoraphobia Causes Panic about Panic

By Will Van Gelder ’16

The fear of panicking in public, or agoraphobia, can cause some people afflicted by this panic disorder to stay in their homes for years on end due to fear of panicking in a public place. Agoraphobics were once viewed with much disdain, but in recent years these “shut-ins” have become more widely accepted as their phobia has become better understood.

Celebrities such as Woody Allen, Barbra Streisand and “Home Alone” star Macaulay Culkin have suffered from this debilitating phobia. The phobia has been widely depicted in TV shows such as “Better Call Saul” and movies such as “Hairspray.”

Naturally, the symptoms of agoraphobia not only affect the patient, but often place an undue burden on family and friends, as they often have to deliver food and other supplies to the sufferer.

Agoraphobia can now be successfully treated through a psychotherapy process known as exposure, which subjects sufferers to the things that make them panic in order to desensitize them of their fear.