Question:
I came across this NG when searching for something else and wondered whether any subscribers could help me answer a question that’s been bothering me for years. My father suffered from agoraphobia for most of his life. It seems to have started in his teens and got worse so by his 40’s he was only able to go out of the house for short, well-known journeys (and even then occasionally getting panic attacks). We didn’t talk much about it and just got on with our (not quite ‘normal’) lives, so I never knew the cause (and if he or my mother did they never mentioned it). He died about 20 years ago. At his funeral an uncle told me that my father had been stabbed in a motiveless attack by another boy when he was about 16 years old and that he believed that this had triggered the agoraphobia, as he was never the same afterwards. I remembered my father had mentioned this incident years before but not in any connection to the agoraphobia. I’m afraid I’ve never really taken time out to investigate whether such a cause is possible or what other possible causes there might be. The subject was just too painful to go into. Question: Can agoraphobia result from a traumatic incident like a stabbing, and what other causes are there? Many thanks, Reg
Response:
Thanks for the good answers. I knew it wouldn’t be simple but you’ve provided some clarity. Shame the Internet wasn’t around when my dad was alive. He would have found newsgroups like this very helpful. Reg
Response:
method of communication, so pecked out: Question: Can agoraphobia result from a traumatic incident like a stabbing The simple answer would be yes. The avoidance behavior can be for many reasons, but if this is a PTS situation, avoidance and a total change in the person isn’t an unreasonable expectation if left untreated. Note below in the diagnostic criteria where it states:
Elliott, I went to my PDoc appt. today and was told to get the DSM-IV out of my mind once and for all. You are TEMPTING me young man! ; )
Response:
Can agoraphobia result from a traumatic incident like a stabbing, and what other causes are there?
Yes, one can develop Agoraphobia without Panic Disorder. My mother had Agoraphobia because she was afraid that a medical emergency she once had would occur again and no one would be able to help her. (These were the days before cell phones.) You dad may have developed Agoraphobia to avoid getting into the traumatic situation again. It may have been the fear of it happening again. Agoraphobia can indeed exist apart from Panic Disorder.
Response:
I can only speak from personal experience. My agoraphobia was caused by panic attacks, which i didn’t know at the time. I got so scared of the panic and feeling so badly all the time that i quickly became afraid of leaving the house. I am biological predispositioned for anxiety, but never had a major problem with it until a tramatic event, which i believe i made the panic worse by not knowing the cause or what was going on at the time. From what little i have learned, panic attacks can be by biological in nature and/or from a traumatic event. That’s just my opinion, though. The human brain is an amazing and powerful thing! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I came across this NG when searching for something else and wondered whether any subscribers could help me answer a question that’s been bothering me for years. My father suffered from agoraphobia for most of his life. It seems to have started in his teens and got worse so by his 40’s he was only able to go out of the house for short, well-known journeys (and even then occasionally getting panic attacks). We didn’t talk much about it and just got on with our (not quite ‘normal’) lives, so I never knew the cause (and if he or my mother did they never mentioned it). He died about 20 years ago. At his funeral an uncle told me that my father had been stabbed in a motiveless attack by another boy when he was about 16 years old and that he believed that this had triggered the agoraphobia, as he was never the same afterwards. I remembered my father had mentioned this incident years before but not in any connection to the agoraphobia. I’m afraid I’ve never really taken time out to investigate whether such a cause is possible or what other possible causes there might be. The subject was just too painful to go into. Question: Can agoraphobia result from a traumatic incident like a stabbing, and what other causes are there? Hi Reg, and welcome. Agoraphobia most often accompanies a panic disorder or another phobia of sorts. If your father suffered emotional trauma from the stabbing incident and never received proper mental help, then it could indeed be the reason for the agoraphobia, or a number of other mental health problems. People who develop agoraphobia from a certain traumatic situation have been conditioned to fear. The very thought of having a panic attack while being out somewhere can leave a person wanting to isolate themselves… keeping themselves "safe" so to speak. So yes, in a nutshell, (no pun intended), the stabbing could be the reason for your father’s agoraphobia. —
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