Common Myths About Agoraphobia

Myth: Attacks come out of the blue.
Fact: Almost always occur where you are trapped in some way, however subtle, with no apparent way to escape or get help. Treatment frees you from these situations by practicing being in them comfortably, to allow desensitization to take place.

Myth: Panic makes people uncontrollable and wile.
Fact: No one ever ran down the street, yelling, screaming or crying. Most phobic persons become more controlled, so that even their intimate friends and partners don't even suspect their condition for many years.

Myth: Phobia is a rare, exotic disorder.
Fact: Changes are you know 50 or more people if you have the average number of acquaintances. At least one in six people are phobic, considering all ages and types of phobia. Most phobics are busy disguising it from others, and they won't tell you because of the shame.

Myth: The cause is biochemical.
Fact: Of course the whole panic syndrome is a real physical event, not imaginary. BUT, it is triggered by your perceiving you are trapped; and there are other contributing causes as well. For example, over 40% of phobics had experienced a major loss or insecurity in the few months before their first attack.

Myth: Ignore the attacks - they'll go away.
Fact: Trying to ignore such an overwhelming feeling is impossible. The worry that panic may return is a 24 hour obsession for some. And, usually the first attacks worsen and spread quickly within the first six months.

Myth: Phobias have always been hard to cure, you have to live with it.
Fact: This was so about 30 years ago, and there are still some ineffective treatments. Now, substantial cures are upwards of 80 to 90 percent or more using exposure therapy with medication.

Myth: Phobias are harmless, minor disorders - no one need ever know.
Fact: In one study, they found 11% become housebound, 30% develop reactive depression, 17% lost their jobs, 27% have poor marital relations, and most all have incurred medical costs of all kinds.

Myth: Panic means I'll faint, have a heart attack, die, or go crazy.
Fact: This has never happened to the best of our knowledge. The hormones and chemicals that are released at the time of panic, in fact, make the body stronger and senses more alert.

Myth: Once phobic, I'll be phobic in some form the rest of my life.
Fact: Recent long-term studies of phobic persons successfully treated with exposure therapy show 4, 5, 9 and 10 years of being symptom and panic free, with no substitution with other symptoms, regardless of age or severity. The key appears to be to finish desensitization by going through ALL the situations of fear.

This article was written by Dr. Richard C. Raynard, whose latest book Panic Free is offering new hope for those suffering from overwhelming and often debilitating panic attacks. For over 30 years he has helped thousands of his patients with the latest refinements in anxiety and panic treatments.
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