Question

Select 1 of the following anxiety disorders:

Panic disorder

Agoraphobia

Generalized anxiety disorder

Provide the following details about the disorder:

What are some of the symptoms?

What would this disorder look like in person? Make sure you relate this back to the DSM criteria.

What is its prevalence in the U.S. population?

What is your perception of potential impact on workplace performance?

Discuss 1 type of treatment approach that has shown to be successful in treating the disorder you selected.

What is the long-term prognosis (i.e., can it get better?)?

Answer 1

I’m providing here the details on agoraphobia. Following are the answers:

1. Some symptoms of agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is the disproportionate fear of open and/or crowded places and scenarios. Following are some common symptoms of agoraphobia:

• Physical: Rapid heart rate, palpitation, highly increased sweating, trembling, breathing difficulty, diarrhea, dizziness, fainting, gastric problems, chest pain, etc.
• Psychological and lifestyle: Fear of public and public places, fear of loss of control when in public, escaping open spaces and crowded places, high dependence on other people like family and friends, scared of being alone, sudden feel of terror, low self-esteem, depression, isolation or detachment, etc.

2. How agoraphobia looks like in an individual

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder, which is a DSM-5 diagnosis of those who possess an extreme fear of public places. Individuals suffering from agoraphobia look panicky and distressed in situations and places that are too crowded or too open. After facing such a stimulus, these individuals appear extremely anxious and they may even get a panic attack. The individual suffering from agoraphobia will not simply look anxious, but his/her fear will be disproportionate.

Such a person will show avoidance behavior when there is a mention of visiting an open/crowded place like the one where they may need to stand in queues or face a big crowd. The person will avoid driving or using public transport. He/she will also avoid shopping at malls or marketplaces. Sometimes, the person may not go alone out of home or follow only the route he/she is familiar with. Basically, they adopt the safest ways and avoid risks in order to avoid discomfort and anxiety.

3. Prevalence of agoraphobia in the U.S. population

In American population, agoraphobia starts at an average age of 20 years. However, this problem is noticed among people of all ages, from children to adults. While around 0.8% of American adult population suffers from agoraphobia that does not follow any panic disorder, around 1.8 million of the people 18+ years of age face this disorder.

4. Potential impact of agoraphobia on workplace performance

• According to my perception, agoraphobia may create a major impact on workplace performance of a person suffering from it. As the individual’s world shrinks, he/she may want to remain confined to the set quiet workstation allotted to him/her.
• The person may not try to be social with other colleagues and may even feel uncomfortable and panicked when he/she is moved from one workstation to another.
• They may always stay on guard, which will affect their team performance, as well as individual work. Their constant nervousness and confinement to their safety zone will not allow them to take part in workplace events and activities.
• Even for individual work, they will depend on colleagues they are close to.
• High absenteeism will also be another issue with people suffering from agoraphobia.

5. One successful treatment approach in case of agoraphobia

CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy is one such treatment approach that has been found to be effective in treating agoraphobia. Under CBT, the patterns of negative thoughts in a patient are broken so they may learn to adopt more positive ways of thinking and behavior. Giving therapy to expose the patient to his/her fears, in combination with CBT, works the best in case of agoraphobia.

6. Long-term prognosis

While agoraphobia can last a lifetime or may be temporary, proper treatment through medication and therapy can manage it to a good extent. The individual’s quality of life can be improved significantly, even in cases where complete desensitization to the fear-inducing stimulus may not be achieved.