Agoraphobia falls into the general category of anxiety disorders. The anxiety disorders include panic disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, acute stress disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The ancient term agoraphobia is translated from Greek as fear of an open marketplace. Agoraphobia today describes severe and persistent anxiety about being in situations from which escape might be complicated or avoidance of situations such as being alone outside of the home, traveling in a car, bus, or airplane, or being in a crowded area.
             For patients to be considered agoraphobic they must never qualify as having Panic Disorder. The disturbance must also not be due to the direct physiological effects of a drug abuse, a medication or a general medical condition. The criterion for agoraphobia is having anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult or in which help may not be. Agoraphobic fears typically involve characteristic groups of situations that include being outside the home alone; being in a crowd or standing in a line; being on a bridge; and traveling in a bus, train, or automobile. The situations are avoided or else are endured with marked distress or with anxiety about having a Panic Attack or panic-like symptoms, or require the presence of a companion.
             There are many different treatments for agoraphobia. A lot of currant discussion is over whether the treatment should be medicinal or therapeutic. Medicinal approaches, including antidepressants and antianxiety, have been shown to be helpful in treating each of the anxiety disorders, except specific phobias. Therapeutic strategies, also known as CBT, appear to be an effective psychological treatment for each anxiety disorder. CBT strategies shown to be helpful include changing anxious thoughts, interpretations, and predictions into more rational and
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