I'm afraid to go outside, or agoraphobia - how to overcome fear?

A panicky, obsessive fear of leaving the house, and the subsequent categorical refusal to leave the premises is not at all a whim or a manifestation of unreasonable stubbornness. An irrational, overwhelming fear of leaving the house is a painful, debilitating condition that a person cannot overcome on his own. Illogical anxiety develops for no reason and cannot be eradicated by willpower.

The fear of leaving home on the street can occur in any contemporary, regardless of his gender, age, level of education and social status. Despite the severity of the manifestations of phobic fear, this problem is considered within the framework of neurotic disorders, since the person has a fully critical attitude towards his groundless anxiety.

However, having reached the level of phobia, abnormal fear makes it impossible for the individual to fully function. For such a person, home is the only safe zone. Having reached its maximum, obsessive fear forces the person not to leave the home at all. In a severe form of the disorder, a person loses his ability to work; he is locked in a “cage” of his own free will, deprived of the opportunity to lead his usual normal existence.

A subject caught in the grip of debilitating anxiety is unable to lead a normal social life. He stops going to work and drops out of school. Does not contact friends, does not attend entertainment events. A person gripped by fear is ready to endure all sorts of hardships, left without the most necessary things for life: food, medicine, hygiene items, just so as not to cross the threshold of the house.

Panic attacks

Based on the theory of the development of fear of going outside on your own, there are two directions:

1. Proponents of this view think that agoraphobia has a primary fear of helplessness in the face of large spaces that causes attacks.
2. Followers of the second idea are confident that the basis of the pathology is a panic attack, formed into a phobia. The fears experienced reinforce and strengthen the primary branch, paralyzing the will, and provoking attacks.

Panic attacks occur spontaneously, a person is afraid to go outside, he does not understand what to do, reinforcing the real danger many times over with the subconscious. Fear of death or madness occurs. A type of attack similar to a vegetative crisis is characterized by the appearance of anxiety and pain of a different nature.

If reality becomes blurred, the client panics, becomes hysterical, screams, and asks for help. In severe cases, seizures occur. The duration of the unconscious process is about 15 minutes, less often half an hour. Attacks are more typical for suspicious people.

Reasons for developing a fear of going outside

• Heredity
  . Quite a large number of specialists in the field of psychiatry are confident that all neuroses should be considered exclusively at the genetic level of manifestation of a certain pathology. Based on the results of their research, it can be concluded that a fifth of the population who are afraid to go outside borrowed a similar model of behavior from their parents. Sometimes a “gift of fate” can even be passed down from grandparents.
• Increased anxiety
  . People with an overly excitable psyche are afraid of everything, even their own shadow. For them, leaving the house is a feat that they are not going to accomplish. If we make an analogy with animals, then a person of this type automatically turns into a turtle, which is securely hidden in its shell.
• Diffidence
  . People whose complexes play a dominant role over other priorities try not to leave their native walls again. In every glance of a passerby, they see disapproval and even censure, which puts such poor fellows into a stupor and even depression. This is often encountered by young mothers after childbirth, and women in adulthood who find it difficult to control their weight. People with a pronounced defect in appearance (large birthmarks, growths on the body, etc.) are also susceptible to fear.
• Disability
  . People with disabilities often try to isolate themselves within four walls, because this is where they feel safe. For them, the street is a high-risk zone, even if they live in a quiet rural area.
• Dysfunction of mental regulation
  . In some anxious individuals, biological processes in the brain malfunction. In this case, there is an imbalance of reflex functions that must be controlled by consciousness.
• Expansion of the stressful situation
  . A child’s fear of entering a dark room can later develop into a much more serious phobia. The expression “my home is my castle” is also beginning to be perceived by some people as an unconditional verdict.
• Low social status
  . In this case, we are not talking about embarrassment and fear of becoming a laughing stock in the eyes of more successful people. A person who is afraid to leave home, in most cases, simply does not want to see a higher standard of living in the society that surrounds him. It’s easier for him to close himself in “his own box” so as not to correct anything and not fight to change the situation.
• An accident that occurred
  . If the poor fellow became a hostage in the past or observed some kind of disaster, then he will not have the desire to go out into the street again. After suffering stress, such people become hermit crabs who feel quite comfortable in such a situation.
• Definite addiction
  . In this case, we are not talking about alcoholics who, in the cold and cold, will leave the house in search of a strong drink. Those same computer gamers are so oblivious to reality that even a trip to the nearest bakery seems like a feat to them.
• Accompanying effect
  . Some phobias in humans tend to intertwine quite harmoniously with each other. Against the background of one mental pathology, another emotional anomaly is quite capable of developing, which leads to a fear of going out.
• Fear of death
  . Every adequate person does not want to say goodbye to his life before the scheduled date. However, in some cases, such a desire turns into a certain mania. People who fear death every second are simply trying to make a fortress out of their home. For them, going outside is equivalent to a death sentence for themselves.
• Internal dictate
  . Very often, parents prohibit young children from communicating with their peers outside the walls of the house, scaring them at the same time and inventing all sorts of horror stories. After personality maturation, mature adolescents may then perceive the street solely as a threatening factor.

Who is responsible for what?

• Responsibility for children and their actions

First, access to the roof is prohibited to everyone except some specialists who require access to perform their job duties (more on this below).

Secondly, young people often not only walk there, but also cause damage: they litter, break something, draw graffiti, and damage equipment installed on the roof. Bottles thrown into storm drains, for example, can cause roof leaks during rainstorms.

Adults (who are over 18 years old) can bear full responsibility for themselves and their actions. In cases where the law allows marriage before the age of 18, the child, having gotten married, also acquires full legal capacity, and in the event of divorce before reaching the age of 18, legal capacity is retained.

According to Article 1074 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, minors aged 14 to 18 years are independently responsible for the harm caused. But when they do not yet have their own income or property sufficient to compensate for the harm, the harm must be compensated in full or in the missing part:

• parents (adoptive parents) or guardian;
• an organization for orphans and children left without parental care, if the minor was placed under supervision there.

The obligation of parents (adoptive parents), guardian and relevant organization to compensate for harm caused to minors aged 14 to 18 years shall cease:

• upon reaching the age of majority by the person causing the harm;
• before reaching the age of majority, if the offender has income or other property sufficient to compensate for the harm;
• when he acquired legal capacity before reaching adulthood.

According to Article 1073 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, for harm caused by children under 14 years of age, the following are liable:

• parents, guardians, adoptive parents or other legal representatives;
• nannies or tutors, if the children are currently under their supervision and an appropriate agreement has been concluded;
• medical or educational institutions, if children are currently under their supervision;
• supervisory organizations if children are left without parental care.

• Responsibility for unobstructed access to the roof

For the fact that children, in principle, have the opportunity to climb onto the roof, they will be responsible:

• Management company (management company),
• HOA (homeowners' association),
• LCD (housing cooperative),
• ZHSK (housing construction cooperative).

It depends on who runs a particular house.

The fact that doors leading to the attic and roof must be closed is regulated by paragraph 3.3.5. Part III of the resolution of the State Construction Committee of the Russian Federation dated September 27, 2003 No. 170:

3.3.5. Entrance doors or hatches (for attic rooms with spare, pressure and expansion tanks) leading to the roof must be insulated, equipped with sealing gaskets, and always locked (one set of keys for which must be kept with the duty dispatcher of the ODS or in the room of the organization’s foreman technician for housing maintenance, and the second in one of the nearest apartments on the top floor), about which a corresponding inscription is made on the hatch.

It also talks about those persons who are allowed to go onto the roof:

Entry into the attic and onto the roof should be permitted only to employees of housing maintenance organizations directly involved in technical supervision and performing repair work, as well as employees of operating organizations whose equipment is located on the roof and in the attic.

Manifestations of agoraphobia - fear of open places, fear of going outside

The main, leading symptom of agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces, the fear of going outside, the fear of entering large rooms (halls, recreation rooms, long corridors, rooms with high ceilings, etc.). Agoraphobia can manifest itself in the form of a variety of symptoms, which can manifest itself in the form of: - uncontrollable, unclear fear; - in the form of suffocation, palpitations, a lump in the throat and other somatic phenomena; - weakness in the legs or throughout the body; - internal trembling; - increased sweating, feeling hot, feeling cold

However, most often agoraphobia is accompanied by several symptoms at the same time, which can be combined into one well-known term - panic attack. Therefore, doctors most often treat agoraphobia with panic attacks.

Phobias are obsessive fears. Phobic anxiety Feelings of fear in open places or on the street Fear of leaving the house alone Fear of riding in public transport Need to avoid certain places or activities Fear of fainting

Recommendations from psychologists for eliminating fear

Experts in this industry advise those who say “I’m afraid to go outside” to a number of methods to solve the problem:

• Autotraining. A sensible analyst can easily assess the usefulness of a walk. A mental comparative table of the advantages and disadvantages of the action is compiled, and the correctness of the actions is assessed.
• Method of rejection. This is a workable solution. The main thing is to remove the “stop” within yourself, stepping over panic and anxiety.
• Yoga. Helps you find inner strength, learn to control your actions, thoughts, and relax.
• Visiting a psychotherapist. When the disease is advanced, it is difficult to find a way out on your own. Visiting a specialist will help.

Many people wonder what the fear of leaving the house is, what the disease is called, do people really experience panic attacks? This is a serious mental disorder that requires treatment. With delayed help, complete isolation from society and degradation occurs. The right solution is to contact the psychologist-hypnologist Nikita Valeryevich Baturin. By writing on the official VKontakte page, the client will be able to return to normal life, freed from fear.

Main signs of street fear

The fear of going outside is reflected by the following signs:

• Anxiety. As the disease progresses, fears take on new colors; the client is even afraid of what is happening in his thoughts. He invents many scenarios and plots of events for himself, driving himself deeper into his own cage of hopelessness.
• Cardiopalmus. A panic attack feels like a claustrophobic attack. The client panics, loses his bearings, sweats, his heart rate increases, and it becomes difficult to breathe. This condition occurs when the home is abandoned and there is unprotected space around.
• Difficulty breathing. Characteristic of panic attacks. Violation of the correct rhythm leads to panic of a hypochondriacal nature. The person is afraid of suffocating and loses control.
• Weakness of muscle structures. Occurs during prolonged emotional stress. Apathy begins, the person loses strength, he ceases to be interested in what is happening around him.
• Nausea. This symptom clearly shows disgust, rejection of life. Tablets are powerless. The condition normalizes on its own after treatment of the underlying cause.
• Obsession. The slightest problem becomes an insoluble tragedy. The client considers himself a failure, a leper.
• Feeling hot. At the moment of panic, the face turns purple, a surge of warmth is felt, blood pressure and pulse rise. Against this background, noise is heard, ringing in the ears, sweat appears.
• Pre-fainting state. Severe dizziness can cause fainting.
• Cramps. When there is strong fear and panic, a person begins to shake when going outside, and short-term convulsions occur.
• Losing your bearings. The client does not remember where he came from, does not understand which direction to move in order to find protection.
• Stomach upset. It may manifest as diarrhea or, conversely, constipation. It occurs due to stress.

The fear of going out is psychologically manifested by the fear of having an attack in public, losing your mind, losing control, depression, constant obsessive anxiety, and low self-esteem.

Treatment of pathology

Before prescribing treatment, the patient must visit specialized specialists (general practitioner, cardiologist, psychiatrist, neurologist), who will rule out diseases with similar symptoms.

To get a complete picture of the disease, psychiatrists usually use a number of tests: anxiety scales and panic attack assessments, Beck Depression Test.

Drug treatment consists of selecting antidepressants, tranquilizers and antipsychotics that correspond to the severity of the disease. Along with medications, psychotherapeutic sessions are conducted with the patient (Ericksonian hypnosis, cognitive behavioral therapy, Gestalt therapy, etc.).

In addition, the patient is recommended to use relaxing techniques at home (breathing techniques, muscle relaxation exercises, meditative practices, art therapy, etc.), which can be studied in specialized literature or via the Internet, for example, in a video blog

If I see children on the roof, where should I go?

If you notice children walking on the roof of your or a neighboring house, report it to the police.

Law enforcement officials must register your complaint, go to the site and conduct an inspection.

Take photos or video of what is happening. This way you will still have evidence, because by the time the police arrive, the children can already run away.

If police officers catch juvenile extreme sportsmen by surprise, the children will be taken to the police station and will have an explanatory conversation with them. An administrative protocol will be drawn up regarding parents (or legal representatives).

Then the police will send an order to the management organization to close access to the roof.

Treatment of agoraphobia

When there is a fear of leaving the house, each case requires an individual approach, drawing up a treatment regimen. Apply:

• Drug treatment. Helps to temporarily stabilize the emotional state so that he can overcome the disease.
• Psychotherapy. It can be individual or group. Helps to stabilize the mental background, identify the problem, and learn to look at the current situation from the other side.
• Hypnosis. Used to identify the cause of the development of a phobia, if this cannot be done by other methods. Also, with the help of hypnosis, a specialist can give the necessary commands to correct the client’s behavior.

If I see that the door to the roof is not locked, who should I tell?

Did you see that the door leading to the attic or roof was open? You must definitely inform your management company (HOA, residential complex, housing cooperative) about this. This can be done by calling or sending a request in writing. You can also call the emergency dispatch service.

Take a photo of the open roof exit. This will come in handy if the management organization fails to fulfill its responsibilities in the future. For the same reason, it is better to send the application by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt.

Management company employees will have to check whether access to the roof is really open. Then they must correct the violation: hang a new lock.

If, after your application, the Criminal Code did not take measures to restrict access to the roof, you can complain to the local administration and the State Housing Inspectorate. If this does not help, contact the prosecutor's office.

Please attach documents to your complaint that prove the violation. This is a photo of the exit to the roof and a notification that the management company employees have received a letter with your application.

A radical method, if in addition to the open roof you have accumulated many other claims against the management company, may be to change the management organization.

Self-help for agoraphobe

There are a number of simple exercises that you can do if the answer to the question “am I afraid to go outside because of panic attacks” is yes.

1. After taking the medicine prescribed by a specialist, you need to turn on calm music and try to relax as much as possible - after ten to fifteen minutes, you can start imagining with your eyes closed how you leave the threshold of the house. There is no need to rush: if there is any inconvenience within your visualization, you should immediately return home. With each repetition of the exercise, you need to gradually extend the time spent above the threshold, and then the distance. Once you get used to the sensations, you can experiment with distance from home and the time of imaginary walks.
2. It is necessary to find a point inside the house to which feelings of comfort are attached. This should not be some place, but a point - on the wall, chest of drawers or the back of a chair. In your imagination, you need to learn to materialize this point and move it in space (at the initial stage within the home), without losing the feeling of comfort and confidence in safety.

These exercises can help get rid of agoraphobia during panic attacks, but provided that the situation is not too advanced and the disease is not complicated by a number of concomitant phobias.

Methods to combat phobias

The phrase I'm afraid to go outside speaks of an internal personality conflict. To get rid of this condition, you should distract yourself:

• shopping. Purchasing things relaxes and gives a lot of positive emotions;
• buying a dog. You need to walk the animal, which will force you to leave your home;
• chat with friends. A meeting of relatives is arranged near any convenient area except home;
• picnic. Fresh air, loved ones, relatives will help you cope with the problem;
• child therapy. Little toddlers are full of energy and cheerfulness. Therefore, communication brings pleasure and helps to find meaning in life.

Treatment of agoraphobia with panic attacks

A feeling of fear in open places or on the street is a problem associated with a mental state disorder and cannot be controlled by the efforts of one’s own will; it requires the mandatory participation of a medical professional with higher medical education, a psychiatrist or psychotherapist.

Agoraphobia with panic attacks can be treated using complex techniques from a psychotherapist. Active neurometabolic therapy, psychotherapy are used, physiotherapeutic procedures are often prescribed, and a daily routine and diet are selected.

Treatment of agoraphobia with panic attacks is selected only individually, only after a thorough examination and identification of the true causes of the formation of a violation of the biological processes of the brain. It is not the symptoms that are felt by the person that are treated, but the cause that the person does not feel. The true reason is sometimes very well hidden from the eyes of non-specialists, and even more so from the person who suffers from it. Treatment of agoraphobia and panic attacks by psychologists or ordinary psychotherapists, without higher medical education and education in psychiatry, should be categorically excluded.

Prognosis for treatment of agoraphobia with panic attacks

Agoraphobia with panic attacks is treatable and the prognosis, as a rule, is favorable with proper treatment and following all the instructions of the attending physician.

If there is no treatment or incorrect treatment, the prognosis is usually not favorable.

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Diagnostics

With agoraphobia, treatment on your own is impossible until the diagnosis is accurately established. It is important to differentiate phobic disorder from other mental disorders. To make a diagnosis of agoraphobia, confirmation of the following factors is necessary:

• psychosomatic manifestations should appear in response to the provoking situation itself, and not be the result of delusions or obsessions;
• a feeling of anxiety and fear manifests itself in 1-2 of the following situations: being in a crowd, public transport, moving outside your “comfort zone,” visiting new places or traveling alone;
• the person consciously avoids situations in which the phobia may worsen.

To make a diagnosis, the doctor talks with the patient. If you suspect such a violation, you should consult a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Quite often, due to a panic attack, the patient thinks that he is physically unwell. As a rule, heart disease is suspected. In this case, patients turn first to a therapist or cardiologist. After an examination that shows that the person is healthy, the doctor may refer you to a psychiatrist. The cost of an initial consultation depends on the specific clinic and ranges from 500-1000 rubles, depending on the region of residence.

What is agoraphobia

When a patient turns to a specialist with the problem “I’m afraid to go outside because of panic attacks,” we can talk about the development of agoraphobia.

Agoraphobia is essentially a term that unites specific isolated fears that are interconnected in essence. Thus, denoting a fear of open space, agoraphobia can often coexist with a fear of public speaking, and sometimes with social phobia.

Agoraphobia is usually called fear that appears accompanied by vivid clinical manifestations of a somatic nature that arise in certain places or circumstances:

in open areas; in public areas, in places with large concentrations of people (cafes, shopping centers, metro); at large-scale cultural events (concerts, fairs, sports competitions); when there is a likelihood of attracting the focused attention of strangers; if the door and window openings in the room are open; in deserted places where there is no opportunity to seek help; when moving alone; in the absence of an accessible opportunity to return to a comfortable place at any time, which most often is home for the patient.

Agoraphobia can also arise as a defense mechanism against the present fear of encountering aggressive behavior from others, fear of public shame and criticism from strangers, as well as uncertainty about the compliance of one’s own behavior with the norms of public morality.

Ways to cope with fear on your own

Most often, clients ask the psychologist the following questions: why they are afraid to go out, what is the name of the disease, are there ways to solve the problem on their own. Better at the time of attack:

• Calm down, look at the potential threat as an outside spectator.
• Be close to your loved one. This will help you gain confidence.
• Try to get distracted and talk to people.

When the fear of leaving the house is strong, then training begins in a comfortable place. Having taken the necessary medications, you should mentally leave your home step by step. When you feel an attack approaching, you should calmly return home. Daily activities gradually expand the permissible territory, the person decides to take a real action.

The main signs of a person’s fear of going outside

1. Increased heart rate
   . At any prospect of leaving their native walls, a person with the stated problem begins to beat actively. At the same time, the pulse goes off scale so much that in some cases you can call an ambulance.
2. Feeling hot
   . We can all blush when we are given a well-placed compliment or simply flattered. However, for people with a fear of going outside, such a phobia takes on such global proportions that the poor fellow’s face turns purple in a matter of minutes.
3. Change in blood pressure
   . Hypotonic and hypertensive patients with pronounced pathology react especially aggressively to the need to go outside against their wishes. However, people who do not suffer from unstable blood pressure may also experience similar problems in the early stages of agoraphobia.
4. Weakness in the legs
   . They don’t hold us back not only during drunken fun, but also for other reasons. Beginning agoraphobes, even when leaving their home, understand that they simply are not able to take a step beyond the threshold of their home.
5. Loss of orientation
   . Some people will look for a way in a labyrinth that consists of three pines if they had to leave their home walls. They literally will not be able to understand where to go and what is happening around them in this situation.
6. Refusal to communicate with friends
   . In this case, we are not talking about alienating friends from oneself in the literal sense of the word. On his territory, such a person is ready to meet anyone, but you should forget about gatherings in any bar or restaurant in his company once and for all.
7. Panic attack
   . When it comes to such a phenomenon, it is worth ringing all the bells when a problem arises. A person who is adequate in his actions should not be frightened by the prospect of leaving his home. Otherwise, a person who decides to live in an artificially created bunker should be treated by a psychotherapist.

Risk group

Studies have shown that the fear of open doors, whose name is agoraphobia, is more often found among residents of urbanized cities and big cities than among residents of quiet, calm rural areas. Women are also more prone to this disease than men. This is explained by the fact that they are more susceptible to scrutiny and condemnation from society. Moreover, ladies prefer to see a doctor, while men, not knowing how to get rid of agoraphobia, try to drown their problem in alcohol.

People who are psychologically and somatically weakened are more prone to agoraphobia. And also those who have arrhythmia, asthma, epilepsy, hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. What is noteworthy is that almost all patients with agoraphobia have problems with orientation in space. Perhaps dysfunction of the vestibular apparatus is also a cause of agoraphobia. Loss of orientation in space appears due to an unclear perception of the environment (large area, crowd).

Development mechanism

As a rule, it all begins with a panic attack that appears in a characteristic situation, and therefore the connection “leaving the house – danger” is formed in the subconscious. As a result, fearing that panic attacks will overtake him again on the street, a person tries to eliminate risk situations from life: limiting himself in movement and communication.

At moments when the patient is forced to leave a comfortable environment, he involuntarily exhibits somatic signs of anxiety:

• cold sweat;
• increased heart rate;
• severe nausea;
• dry mouth;
• lack of air;
• pain in the heart area;
• weakness and trembling in the limbs;
• general pre-fainting state.

Falling into panic, a person asks those nearby to take him to a place where he could feel out of danger. In crowded places (transport, cafes), the agoraphobe tries to stay as close to the exit as possible or at least keep the doors in sight. Often, a person suffering from agoraphobia creates for himself certain routes that are the safest in his opinion.

The clinical picture may contain anticipatory anxiety, avoidant behavior, and depressive symptoms.

How will the guilty be punished?

• Parents will face a fine if they do not prove that they are not to blame for what happened.

Article 5.35.
Code of Administrative Offenses Failure of parents or other legal representatives of minors to fulfill responsibilities for the maintenance and upbringing of minors 1. Failure to fulfill or improper fulfillment by parents or other legal representatives of minors the responsibilities for maintenance, upbringing, education, protection of the rights and interests of minors - entails a warning or the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of one hundred up to five hundred rubles.

• The management company will also face fines if the door to the roof was not closed.

Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation Article 7.22.
Violation of the rules for the maintenance and repair of residential buildings and (or) residential premises Violation by persons responsible for the maintenance of residential buildings and (or) residential premises of the rules for the maintenance and repair of residential buildings and (or) residential premises or the procedure and rules for declaring them unsuitable for permanent residence and their transfer to non-residential, as well as reconstruction and (or) redevelopment of residential buildings and (or) residential premises without the consent of the tenant (owner), if the reconstruction and (or) redevelopment significantly change the conditions of use of the residential building and (or) residential premises... entails imposition of an administrative fine on officials in the amount of four thousand to five thousand rubles; for legal entities - from forty thousand to fifty thousand rubles.