TREATMENT OF PHOBIA

Анотація

Agoraphobia and claustrophobia are defined within the DSM-IV as a subset of panic disorder,
involving the fear of incurring a panic attack in wide open spaces, streets, squares, crowds, shopping
malls or in closed spaces in train, elevators, plains tunnels, traffic jams.
In the DSM IV: a panic disorder or anxiety disorder is characterized by anxiety in situations where
it is perceived to be difficult or embarrassing to escape in case to get a panic attack in those places..
A panic attack is a certain period of intense fear and characterized by the following symptoms
palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, sweating, trembling, feeling dizzy and fear of fainting.
Many patients report a fear of dying or losing control of emotions and/or behaviour. Also called a
hyperventilation attack which causes panic.
First there are the panic attacks and then after two or three attacks, the person is going to avoid
situations where the panic attacks can possible occur. The so called agoraphobia or claustrophobia
situations. In addition, the person usually has thoughts of impending doom. Individuals suffering from
an episode have often a strong wish of escaping from the situations that provoked the attack.
The central fear in closed spaces is a fear of having no escape and of being enclosed for example
getting a panic attack in a elevator or train (claustrophobia). The central fear of getting a panic attack in
open spaces is losing control, afraid of being lost.