Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List
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Treatment of Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia can be treated using drugs or by using ‘talking treatments’ like cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), psychotherapy and group therapy.
Drug treatments:
Antidepressants (especially the type known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors - SSRI). SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed drugs for panic attacks. They usually result in an improvement in about 6-8 weeks. SSRIs should not be prescribed to the under 18s, although fluoxetine can be prescribed if specialist advice is obtained.
Benzodiazepines are only used for the short-term relief of more extreme cases as they can be addictive. Courses of the drugs are usually less than four weeks and the drug should be withdrawn gradually to avoid a ‘rebound’ effect.
Non-drug treatments:
There is evidence to support the use of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) in treating agoraphobia and panic attacks. Cognitive behaviour therapy combines two types of psychotherapy: cognitive therapy and behaviour therapy. It is based on the theory that most emotional and behavioural responses are learned and the goal is to unlearn unwanted responses and learn new ways of reacting to situations.
Talking and sharing experiences in individual and group psychotherapy can help understanding and recovery from agoraphobia.
