You may think that certain places, people or things are the cause of your repeated attacks – riding on the bus – driving the car – the supermarket – the cinema.
Situations in themselves DON’T cause panic
People become afraid that they might panic in a situation where they feel vulnerable and unable to ‘escape’ quickly. They are also afraid of losing control in front of other people.
The MEMORY of any attacks then makes them fear the situations they were in when the attacks took place and so they AVOID those places from then on.
As time goes on they may find themselves avoiding more and more situations.
The clinical term for avoidance or anxiety in public places for fear of embarrassment or panic attacks is AGORAPHOBIA.
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