Causes and Development of Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia and Post-Traumatic Stress

by Stephen Price

Agoraphobia can develop from a traumatic life event such as an auto accident, mugging, rape, abuse, war experience, or childhood trauma. In these cases, the person will usually develop post-traumatic stress disorder first.

After having panic attacks associated with the post-traumatic stress (at the scene of the trauma in some cases), the person develops fearful associations with certain places or situations.

At some point, the fear generalizes to all places and situations except for a safe place (or a few safe places) and that's when the person has developed agoraphobia.