Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder in which a person perceives their surroundings as unsafe with no easy way to escape, commonly triggered by crowds, public transit, shopping centers, or being outside the home alone. People with agoraphobia often experience panic attacks in these situations and may go to great lengths to avoid them, in severe cases becoming unable to leave home at all. The condition arises from a mix of genetic and environmental factors, is often triggered by a stressful or traumatic event, and has also been linked to weaker vestibular function that leaves a person relying more heavily on visual and tactile cues for balance. It affects roughly 1.7 percent of adults, with women affected about twice as often as men, and usually emerges in adolescence or early adulthood.