How is Agoraphobia Diagnosed ?

Have you ever felt anxious over things such as bowel control, loss of bladder, of food choking in public? If you have felt that way, then you share some symptoms of patients who are suffering from agoraphobia.

How is agoraphobia diagnosed?

Agoraphobia is diagnosed through checking of signs and symptoms as well as psychological evaluation. In most cases, your doctor or mental health professional will pose some questions, and ask you to describe the symptoms and signs that you are experiencing.

Some aspects include identifying the signs and symptoms, time when the symptoms occur, the intensity of the symptom, and the duration when experienced. In addition, you might be asked to talk about how your life has been changed due to the symptoms felt. Places or situations you usually avoid would also be asked.

Agoraphobia is also diagnosed through a physical exam. Physical exams diagnose agoraphobia through spotting the same signs and symptoms found in lung, heart, and other similar conditions.

To be fully diagnosed with agoraphobia, you must meet the criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM. This is a manual that is published by the America Psychiatric Association, and mental health professionals use this to diagnose mental conditions. For you to be diagnosed with agoraphobia, you must meet the following criteria:

• Avoidance of situations or places where you feel you might have a panic attack or have great anxiety when placed in those situations.
• Anxiety about being in situations or places where you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed to escape.

If you are having problems finding out if you are suffering from the signs and symptoms above, you can always ask your trusted friend or family member if they have noticed changes in you.

If they say that you are reluctant to leave home without company, or if they say that they have noticed that you always find reasons not to leave the home, then it may be time to seek professional help,. That way, if you do have agoraphobia, it can be diagnosed properly and at an early time.

Often, the physician may not automatically say that you have agoraphobia as your symptoms may be something else. Agoraphobia is diagnosed as soon as all other physical conditions and mental disorders have been excluded. Pneumonia, head injury, and withdrawal symptoms from medications have more or less similar symptoms as that of panic attacks.

Once agoraphobia is diagnosed, it does not mean that you can no longer be treated. There is a way to treat agoraphobia, and in most cases consists of cognitive-behavioral therapy and some medications.

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