Agoraphobia is a mental health condition characterized by marked fear or anxiety about being in situations from which escape might be difficult or help unavailable if panic-like symptoms occur, such as using public transportation, being in open or enclosed spaces, standing in a crowd, or being outside the home alone. The term derives from the Greek word for marketplace, reflecting its original description as a fear of open public spaces, first named by German psychiatrist Carl Friedrich Otto Westphal in 1871.
Facts
Classification
ICD-10 ChapterV: Mental and Behavioural Disorders 2 Communicable or Non-communicable Transmission Route Causative Agent
Causative Agent (category) Causative Agent (category)Idiopathic / Multifactorial 3 First Described Connections
Treated By
Exposure therapy is a standard evidence-based treatment for agoraphobia.
Sources
1. Wikidata: Agoraphobia
WikidataWikidata P31 (disease-category: non-communicable)
Instance of: anxiety disorder
Wikidata P31 (body-system: nervous)
Instance of: anxiety disorder
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: ICD-10
WikipediaList of chapters, Chapter VQuote, List of chapters, Chapter V
Mental and behavioural disorders
3. Agoraphobia (Wikipedia)
- Term agoraphobia coined by Karl Friedrich Otto Westphal in 1871, Etymology section
lead paragraph
Agoraphobia is believed to be due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
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