Nutrition Health Chat: Tuesday, Dec. 8th, 5-6 PM Eastern. Learn how vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients affect your health. Free live Q&A. Join us!
Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Fear of being alone
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
Fear of being alone
by Randy Gould, Feb 29, 2000 12:00AM
My mother has a fear of being alone. She needs to be around someone at all times. When she is alone she has panic and/or anxiety attacks. I have seen some information on agoraphobia which seems to be the fear of crowds, she is just the Opposite.
Is there a clinical term for what she may have or would it be considered a form of agoraphobia? What would be our next move to seek out treatment for this? What kind of doctor should we see is this a treatable condition?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely
Randy Gould
Is there a clinical term for what she may have or would it be considered a form of agoraphobia? What would be our next move to seek out treatment for this? What kind of doctor should we see is this a treatable condition?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely
Randy Gould
Doctor's Answer
by HFHS-M.D-HG, Mar 02, 2000 12:00AM
Dear Randy Gould,
Agoraphobia is anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult. Agoraphobic fears typically involve situations that include being outside the home alone, being in a crowd or on a bridge or standing in a line/ travelling in a bus or any automobile.I am wondering about anything scary had happened when your mother was alone which may be contributing to her present symptoms. These symptoms are treatable by a combination of medications and psychotherapy. A Mental Health Professional would be the best to contact for an adequate evaluation and treatment.
Agoraphobia is anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult. Agoraphobic fears typically involve situations that include being outside the home alone, being in a crowd or on a bridge or standing in a line/ travelling in a bus or any automobile.I am wondering about anything scary had happened when your mother was alone which may be contributing to her present symptoms. These symptoms are treatable by a combination of medications and psychotherapy. A Mental Health Professional would be the best to contact for an adequate evaluation and treatment.
