Why Most People with Agoraphobia Take a Year or More to Start Recovery

Understanding agoraphobia is the first step toward recovery. However, the average person with agoraphobia takes at least one full year to get diagnosed and even longer to learn enough about agoraphobia to start recovering.

Here are four reasons why:

1) Most people don't know what is wrong with them at first. The symptoms of agoraphobia, especially during panic attacks, feel like those of a physical illness. For example, when you are hyperventilating it is easy to suspect something is wrong with your lungs. When your heart is racing it is easy to think something is wrong with your heart. When you are sick at your stomach day after day it is easy to think something is wrong with your digestive system. Plus, one symptom of agoraphobia is to "scan" your body for physical symptoms and worry about every little twinge as if it may be a major life-threatening illness.

2) Many doctors don