Agoraphobia can develop as a complication of panic disorder.
Agoraphobia can sometimes develop if a person has a panic attack in a specific situation or environment.
They begin to worry so much about having another panic attack that they feel the symptoms of a panic attack returning when they're in a similar situation or environment.
This causes the person to avoid that particular situation or environment.
Panic disorder
As with many mental health conditions, the exact cause of panic disorder isn't fully understood.
However, most experts think a combination of biological and psychological factors may be involved.
Biological factors
'Fight or flight' response
Panic disorder is closely associated with your body's natural "fight or flight" response – its way of protecting you from stressful and dangerous situations.
Anxiety and fear cause your body to release hormones, such as adrenaline, and your breathing and heart rate are increased. This is your body's natural way of preparing itself for a dangerous or stressful situation.
In people with panic disorder, it's thought the fight or flight response is more intense, resulting in a panic attack.
Psychological factors
Psychological factors that increase your risk of developing agoraphobia include:
- a traumatic childhood experience, such as the death of a parent or being sexually abused
- experiencing a stressful event, such as bereavement, divorce, or losing your job
- a previous history of mental illnesses, such as depression, anorexia nervosa or bulimia
- alcohol misuse or drug misuse
- being in an unhappy relationship, or in a relationship where your partner is very controlling
Agoraphobia without panic disorder
Occasionally, a person can develop symptoms of agoraphobia even though they don't have a history of panic disorder or panic attacks.
This type of agoraphobia can be triggered by a number of different irrational fears (phobias), such as the fear of:
- being a victim of violent crime or a terrorist attack if you leave your house
- becoming infected by a serious illness if you visit crowded places
- doing something by accident that will result in you embarrassing or humiliating yourself in front of others