Top 2 Effective Agoraphobia Treatments

According to the US National Institute of Mental Health, the average age of onset of agoraphobia is 20 years. However, the disorder is most common in people between 30 and 44 years of age. Agoraphobia is believed to be a type of panic disorder, which, if left untreated, can worsen over time to lead to such a situation where the person is no longer able to leave the house. While there are several agoraphobic treatments that one can adopt, here are the most effective ones.

Two Types of Agoraphobic Treatment

Here are the two most effective agoraphobic treatments that you should consider to overcome the problem:

Psychological agoraphobic treatment

Most health-care experts suggest psychological therapies for agoraphobic patients due to their proven long-term effectiveness and because they are free of side effects. When a patient opts for psychological treatment, these are the types of therapies that are offered:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Through the course of this type of psychotherapy, the psychologist adopts techniques or has the patient indulge in activities that are directed towards altering the unhelpful thinking pattern. The treatment principle of CBT is that the way a person thinks is directly related to how the person feels and acts.

• Exposure Therapy

This psychotherapy involves exposing the agoraphobic patient to his/her major fears and then teaching them relaxing techniques that help reduce the anxiety associated with the situation.

Medication

Effective agoraphobic treatment in severe cases involves giving patients a regular dosage of anti-depressants, tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and beta-blockers.

• Antidepressants

Although anti-depressants are primarily known to treat depression, they are also effective in reducing high levels of anxiety. Since anti-depressants are slow to act, you need to continue taking them even if they do not become effective instantly.

• Tricyclic anti-depressants

There are two types of chemicals in one’s brain, noradrenaline and serotonin. These chemicals are responsible for positive moods and feelings in a human being. Tricyclic anti-depressants, such as imipramine and clomipramine, regulate the levels of such chemicals in the brain and therefore help in agoraphobia treatment.

• SSRIs

Mental health-care experts sometimes prescribe selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in place of tricyclic anti-depressants. SSRIs too regulate the levels serotonin in the brain and help in treating phobias.

Both tricyclic anti-depressants and SSRIs may have certain side effects on the body, ranging from dry mouth to loss of appetite, constipation and sweating. Therefore, consult your physician before taking these medicines.

Do You Think You Need Sleep Disorder Treatment?

Every human being spends about 1/3 of his life sleeping. However, with increasing workloads and a stressful lifestyle, we hardly find anyone who gets sound sleep these days. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, over 70 million Americans are prone to sleep disorders, of which 40 million cases are reported to be chronic. With over $15.9 billion in annual contributions to national health care costs, sleep related problems have become a major health issue. Any kind of inconsistency in your daily sleep can be the result of another serious problem. So you must contact your nearest health center to get the right sleep disorder treatment.

Why Should You Opt for Sleep Disorder Treatment?

Sleep disorders can be caused by an array of reasons, such as a hectic work schedule, physical and mental stress and sometimes even hereditary factors. Moreover, modern lifestyle factors, such as alcoholism and high intake of caffeine, can also lead to sleeping related problems. However, before opting for sleep disorder treatment, it is important that you are aware of the most common symptoms.

• Lack of sleep – Insomnia

If you generally have trouble falling asleep or you find yourself staying awake through most of the night, you may be suffering from insomnia. Insomnia can be episodic (inability to sleep may come and go), short-term (that lasts up to 3 weeks) and chronic (if it continues for more than a month). The most common symptoms of insomnia are falling asleep during day hours, not feeling refreshed on waking and having trouble falling asleep on most nights. If you start observing any of these trends in your sleep pattern, it is advisable that you opt for sleep disorder treatment.

• Sleeping too much – Hypersomnia

Have you ever come across cases where people doze off while driving? Such a sleeping disorder is known as hypersomnia, where a person gets used to prolonged sleeping hours. This results in reduced work efficiency and leads to impairment in social and occupational life.

• Sleepwalking

A person suffering from sleepwalking walks or performs other activities while they are still asleep. During the entire sleepwalking episode, the person has a blank face and is often unresponsive to things happening around them. They can be awakened with strong effort and generally don’t remember anything on waking. Professional help should be sought immediately because sleepwalking can result in serious accidents.

Even the slightest sleep disorder should not be overlooked, since it could lead to inefficiency and reduced productivity in both social and professional life. If you are suffering from any of the aforementioned symptoms, it is advisable to seek sound sleep disorder treatment.

What is the Best Hoarding Treatment?

According to hoarding statistics compiled by Psychologydegree.net, 75% of hoarders were found to be engaged in uncontrolled buying activities despite their financial conditions. It was also found that nearly 50% of the hoarders were suffering from excessive acquisition habits. However, only 15% of hoarders are aware of their irrational behaviors. They deny any such habit when confronted about their situation by friends or family members. This is why friends and family members need to play an active role in encouraging their loved ones suffering from hoarding to go for hoarding treatment.

Hoarding Treatment: How can Hoarding be Treated?

Hoarding is a specific type of condition that can have a severe effect on each and every aspect of a person’s life. Treatment of hoarding tendencies is usually very difficult to undertake, as the patient is unable to recognize the negative impacts it has on their lives or faces trouble in accepting the reality that they are actually suffering from a mental condition. They think that people are just making a big fuss over nothing. As a result, they do not seek any form of treatment, which makes their condition even worse. Let us take a look at the various types of treatment methods available for hoarding:

1. Psychotherapy

Cognitive behavior therapy, a part of psychotherapy is used for hoarding treatment. This counseling approach goes beyond ‘just talking’. In this type of hoarding treatment, the therapist helps the person suffering from the disorder, learn the art of making right decisions and thinking about their possessions. Although it is difficult to say anything about how effective this therapy can be for treating hoarding, it is more successful than medication in such cases.

Some of the major benefits of this therapy are highlighted below:

• Helps in learning to categorize and organize possessions
• Improves decision making skills
• Teaches relaxation skills
• Helps in maintaining healthy habits

2. Medications

Antidepressants are the most commonly used medications for hoarding treatment. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) like Paroxetine, are used to increase serotonin activity levels in the brain. However, it is not an effective treatment for quite a few people suffering from this disorder.

Moral support from family members or friends is also very important for the person undergoing hoarding treatment. Also remember that, in order to help a person suffering from this disorder, it is critical that you never throw away the possessions of the hoarder.