As the condition develops, individuals with agoraphobia begin to avoid places or situations that they readily associate with a panic attack, helplessness or high anxiety. They may avoid anything from driving, to shopping, travelling, standing in line, being alone, meetings and social gatherings, or crowds. There are no reliable statistics, but medical experts agree that many people suffer through terrifying panic attacks and agoraphobia without ever really understanding what s happening to them. The cycle of panic Agoraphobia progresses like a rolling snowball. It just gets bigger and more frightening.
Agoraphobia starts with a feeling of anxiety that intensifies into a full-blown panic attack.
That high anxiety can be overwhelming. The instinct to flee kicks in, and with it, an equally intense terror that becomes associated with going anywhere or doing anything where feelings of panic have occurred before Once this cycle of panic attacks and associated fears is set in motion, these episodes can become the source of ongoing stress, even when the conditions that caused the original panic no longer exist. This pattern sets up a feedback condition that leads to more panic attacks and, for some, more situations or events that produce the same feelings of panic. Some sufferers experience chronic fear, a feeling of overall discomfort rather than panic. Panic or anxiety attacks can be terrifying experiences.