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Cognitive Treatments for Agoraphobia
from:Cognitive treatment for agoraphobia aims to help the person function effectively applying gradual exposure to the causes of the phobia and pharmacotheraphy.
As in almost all cases, the success of the treatment depends largely to the severity of the cases. Some cognitive agoraphobia treatment may last for a few sessions while others may last for months of therapy.
Cognitive treatment for agoraphobia will involve the exposure therapy. Exposure therapy is a desensitization process where the person has to relax and imagine the components of the phobia. The process starts from the least fearful to the most fearful. The person will be working with the therapist developing coping mechanism like relaxed breathing exercises and techniques, self-imaging and self-reinforcing techniques.
Exposure therapy may be done in two ways. While actual exposure to real life setting is ideal, this could also be combined with imagined exposures that threaten a person.
Cognitive treatment for agoraphobia may be complicated (at least initially for most cases) by the person's hesitation to come to appointments where in most cases, the therapist do the initial act by going to the patients house for the initial treatments. Gradually, the patient is exposed to more open spaces for the person to overcome the fear and the panic. They are accompanied and guided by the therapist whose professional advice calms the patient. The patient is made to approach situations and spaces and is allowed to handle as much of the anxiety as the patient can stand. Eventually, the fears always pass as the patient recognizes that even if the situation is frightening, it does not pose any danger.
With every attempt, the exposure becomes gradually daring to the patient until the fear is mastered allowing them to enter situations that seemed previously unapproachable.
As the antithesis to agoraphobia is gaining control, patients may spend only a few one on one session with their therapists. Homework is assigned where the patient tries to learn the coping mechanisms on his own.
Joining therapy groups with others who are trying to overcome the same disorder would also help. Therapy groups are usually conducted weekly with guidance from the therapists with others working to overcome the same phobia will be discussing progress, supporting each other and giving encouragement.
Cognitive treatment for agoraphobia will usually take between 8 to 12 weeks although other patients may take a longer time to recover depending on the severity of the disorder. Exposure therapy reduces anxiety and enables the patient to cope with real life situation 75% of the time.
Cognitive treatment for agoraphobia, as mentioned earlier, also requires pharmacotheraphy. Prescription medication is used in order to reduce the severity and the frequency of the attacks. Treatment with medication also reduces anticipatory anxiety. As the patient experiences less severity and frequency in the attacks, exposure therapy gradually increases so the person will ultimately be able to face situation and go into places that were threatening and not ventured previously.
There are today, several approaches to the treatment of agoraphobia that often are accompanied with gradual exposure therapies in combination with cognitive therapy. These treatments may often involve anti anxiety medications like high potency benzodiazepines and the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and other anti depressant medications that are mainly in the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor class.
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