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Although we are, for long, have believed that agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces, the truth may assert otherwise.

Agoraphobia is the fear that pertains to: a) closed spaces where escape from embarrassing situation is deemed impossible and b) a condition that is coupled with anxiety attacks and panic attacks. This may aggravate towards more advance forms of anxiety disorder.

To prove the point, we can say that the root of the words themselves reveal some parts that people have overlooked during the past years.

Agora (a ancient Greek term for market place) and phobia (from the Greek word phobos or fear), when combined will form the meaning of fear of marketplaces which obviously are public spaces and not very much open.

Agoraphobics are not afraid of open spaces (as typical misconception may argue). In fact, they are more fearful of spaces where people gather.

In the end, agoraphobics are only apprehensive of places where chances for panic is created previously and in places where it may be associated. For many, such happens at home, in crowded rooms, and houses of worship which certainly are not "open".

Agoraphobia arises when the person starts feeling an internal condition of fear towards the incidences and places for which the heightened fear repeatedly happened in the past. At the onset of agoraphobia episodes, the stress will aggravate even when other more damaging symptoms have subsided.

These prepare the "feedback condition" for which the anticipation of the attacks alone is enough to cause the sufferer to avoid (or worse, fear) events and situations that he thinks would cause him trouble of controlling himself. In return, he will produce more panicky sensations that lead to increased number of attacks. Other sufferers may experience more of the over-all discomfort other than the panic in the long run.

To prevent themselves from being caught in such events, they tend to abandon social contact. (Note: Agoraphobia is different from social phobia, which means fear of public. Nonetheless, they still cause the sufferer to avoid public places.)

In a sense, agoraphobia is an avoidant behavior that makes a person devise means to lessen interaction with people. Most likely, locking up themselves in their rooms. However, there are agoraphobics that can sustain people contact but with much difficulty.

The condition and the effects are in themselves painful enough to leave the sufferers with scars that won't heal for years. They would learn to anticipate each attack and they would always have to confront themselves with fear that they cannot control. They would try but they won't succeed.

The more painful part though is that while the medical circles have been studying agoraphobia, they are still deprived of enlightenment. They could not decipher what goes on within each attack. Why one person is more susceptible to agoraphobia than another? What may be the cure for the condition? For now, no one is still certain. However, recent findings have shed some light on the issue.

Authorities in the field apparently found link with childhood experiences to the development of agoraphobia. It is possible that a child's developed fears will be carried throughout his growing years until they manifest concretely during adulthood for which the cases of agoraphobia is focused.

Nonetheless, the medical community is still open to possible contradictions and supplementary information that will help clear the rubles off the issue.