Agoraphobia Without History of Panic Disorder

Without a History of is an anxiety disorder characterized by of experiencing , but with an absence of any underlying history of .

typically develops as a result of having . In a small minority of cases, however, can develop by itself without being triggered by the onset of . Historically, there has been debate over whether Without Panic genuinely existed, or whether it was simply a manifestation of other disorders such as , , Avoidant and . Said one researcher: “out of 41 seen (at a clinic) during a period of 1 year, only 1 fit the diagnosis of without , and even this particular classification was questionable…Do not expect to see too many without panic” (Barlow & Waddell, 1985) . In spite of this earlier skepticism, current thinking is that Without is indeed a valid, unique illness which has gone largely unnoticed, since its sufferers are far less likely to seek clinical treatment.

Diagnostic criteria (DSM-IV-TR)

The DSM-IV-TR, a widely used manual for diagnosing mental disorders, defines Without a History of as:

A. The presence of related to fear of developing panic-like symptoms (e.g., dizziness or diarrhea):

  1. Anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult (or embarrassing) or in which help may not be available in the event of having an unexpected or situationally predisposed Panic Attack or panic-like symptoms. typically involved characteristic clusters of situations that include being outside the home alone; being in a crowd or standing in a line; being on a bridge; and traveling in a bus, train or automobile.
  2. The situations are avoided (e.g., travel is restricted) or else are endured with marked distress or anxiety about having a Panic Attack or panic-like symptoms, or require the presence of a companion.
  3. The anxiety or phobic avoidance is not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as (e.g., avoidance limited to social situations because of fear of embarrassment), specific phobia (e.g., avoidance limited to single situation like elevators), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (e.g., avoidance of dirt in someone with an obsession about contamination), Post-traumatic stress disorder (e.g., avoidance of stimuli associated with a severe stressor), or Separation anxiety disorder (e.g., avoidance of leaving home or relatives).

B. Criteria have never been met for .
C. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition.
D. If an associated general medical condition is present, the fear described in Criterion A is clearly in excess of that usually associated with the condition.

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April 24, 2008 | Filed Under Mental Disorders 

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One Response to “Agoraphobia Without History of Panic Disorder”

  1. What Is An Anxiety Disorder? on July 17th, 2008 4:30 am

    [...] typically characterized by recurrent panic attacks accompanied by intense anxiety between attacks. Agoraphobia: This condition is not always accompanied by panic disorder while in some cases it is so. It is a [...]

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