Agoraphobia Without History of Panic Disorder
Agoraphobia Without a History of Panic Disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by extreme fear of experiencing panic symptoms, of panic attacks.
Agoraphobia typically develops as a result of having panic disorder. In a small minority of cases, however, agoraphobia can develop by itself without being triggered by the onset of panic attacks. Historically, there has been debate over whether Agoraphobia Without Panic genuinely existed, or whether it was simply a manifestation of other disorders such as Panic Disorder, General anxiety disorder, Avoidant personality disorder and Social Phobia. Said one researcher: "out of 41 agoraphobics seen (at a clinic) during a period of 1 year, only 1 fit the diagnosis of agoraphobia without panic attacks, and even this particular classification was questionable...Do not expect to see too many agoraphobics without panic" (Barlow & Waddell, 1985) . In spite of this earlier skepticism, current thinking is that Agoraphobia Without Panic Disorder is indeed a valid, unique illness which has gone largely unnoticed, since its sufferers are far less likely to seek clinical treatment.
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[edit] Diagnostic criteria (DSM-IV-TR)
According to the DSM-IV-TR, a widely used manual for diagnosing mental disorders, the condition is diagnosed when Agoraphobia is present without Panic Disorder where symptoms are not caused by or are unreasonable to an underlying medical problem or pharmacological influence.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[2]*Agoraphobia Without a History or Panic Disorder May Be Part of the Panic Disorder Syndrome. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 190(9):624-630, September 2002.
- Agoraphobia Without Panic: An Under-Treated Population.
- The Relationship of Agoraphobia and Panic in a Community Sample of Adolescents and Young Adults.
- Barlow, D. H. & Waddell, M. T. (1985) Agoraphobia. Ch 1 in Barlow, D. H. (Ed) Clinical handbook of psychological disorders: A step-by-step treatment manual. New York: Guilford.
- ^ American Psychiatric Association (2000). "Diagnostic criteria for 300.22 Agoraphobia Without History of Panic Disorder". Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) ed.). ISBN 0-89042-025-4. http://behavenet.com/capsules/. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
- ^ Spiti Raffaello, Scarpato Maria Alessandra, Spiti Alessandra (2011). "Primary agoraphobia specific symptoms: from natural information to mental representations". Italian Journal of Psychopathology, 17 (3): 265-276.[1]
[edit] External links
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- Anxiety Disorders Association of America Information for families, clinicians & researchers
- Anxiety Disorders Association of Canada Registered Canadian non-profit organization, promotes prevention, treatment & management of anxiety disorders
- ANXIETY UK (Formerly the National Phobics Society) Nationally registered charity in the UK; provides information, support & understanding
- The Phobic Trust (Of New Zealand) Registered charitable trust in New Zealand; provides information about treatment, education & support to anxiety disorder sufferers
- South African Depression and Anxiety group (National Charity) Counseling, mental health awareness programs: media & public speaking outreach & rural outreach initiatives
- Agoraphobia Without History of Panic Disorder at the Open Directory Project
- Self help guide (NHS Direct)
- International OCD Foundation (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder & Related Problems) International not-for-profit organization; information & support for sufferers, families & professionals
- Social Anxiety at the Open Directory Project
- Social Phobia/Social Anxiety Association Non-profit organization, education about social anxiety disorder (social phobia).
- Social Anxiety Anonymous/Social Phobics Anonymous - International not-for-profit organization, free 12 Step support groups
