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Prevention

By Mayo Clinic staff

There's no sure way to prevent agoraphobia. However, anxiety tends to increase the more you avoid situations that you fear. If you start to have mild fears about going places that are safe, try to practice going to those places before your fear becomes overwhelming. If this is too hard to do on your own, ask a family member or friend to go with you or seek professional help.

Also, if you've experienced panic attacks or have panic disorder, get treatment as soon as possible. Because panic disorder and agoraphobia are closely related, getting treatment for panic disorder may prevent the development of agoraphobia.

In addition, if you take medication or are already in therapy or counseling for panic disorder, continue to follow your treatment plan. If you develop any symptoms of agoraphobia, get treatment as soon as possible, which will help prevent symptoms from getting worse over time.

Coping and support

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References
  1. Agoraphobia. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Jan. 7, 2011.
  2. Panic disorder. In: Hales RE, et al. The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry. 5th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2008. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Jan. 7, 2011.
  3. Schatzberg AF, et al. Anxiety disorders. In: Schatzberg AF, et al. Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 7th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2010. 7th ed. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Jan. 7, 2011.
  4. Shih RD. Plants, mushrooms and herbal medications. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?sid=1102110593&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00162-6--s0135&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&type=bookPage&sectionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00162-6--s0135&uniqId=231117875-7. Accessed Jan. 7, 2011.
  5. Hepatic toxicity possibly associated with kava-containing products - United States, Germany, and Switzerland, 1999 - 2002. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5147a1.htm. Accessed Jan. 7, 2011.
  6. Ciechanowski P, et al. Overview of panic disorder. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 7, 2011.
  7. Satterfield JM, et al. Panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2011: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00025-1--sc0035&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&sid=1102117058&type=bookPage&sectionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00025-1--sc0035&uniqId=231117875-8#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00025-1--sc0035. Accessed Jan. 7, 2011.
  8. Agoraphobia. Micromedex Healthcare Series. http://www.micromedex.com. Accessed Jan. 13, 2011.
  9. Hall-Flavin DK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 11, 2011.
DS00894 April 21, 2011

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