The following information has been compiled from a great variety of resources, containing the ideas and opinions of many experts in the treatment field. The points made here may be new to you, or even contrary to the ideas you may have held. Agoraphobia is a complex condition, not easily explained. To truly understand, one must have actually had the experience themselves, or must be willing to study the issue in great depth.
Total recovery requires attention to many aspects.
This distorted picture has done a disservice in that it does not accurately represent the experience of most agoraphobics. And though statistics would indicate a larger number of female agoraphobics, there are many male agoraphobics. Severe sensitization of the nervous system can occur, creating further symptomology. A panic attack can be so traumatic an experience that one begins to become extremely hypervigilant to physical sensations which might signal a pending panic attack. Often this occurs almost unconsciously.