How to know when to seek help for agoraphobia

When I had agoraphobia I went for a long time without treatment. That's because I was busy going to doctors and couldn't admit I had a psychological problem.

Once you recongize you are having agoraphobia symptoms, the question is "How do you know when it's time to seek outside help?"

Here's a general rule of thumb:

If your symptoms are interfering with the regular flow of your daily life it's time to get help. This is when the symptoms are hindering you at work, school, social events, or in your relationships with family or friends.

When you decide you need help, the next question is "what type of help?"

Here's another rule of thumb:

The type or level of help you need should depend on the degree of avoidance behavior. If you are just anxious and have no or mid avoidance behaviors then you probably don't need to see a professional psychologist. In this case, giving yourself a good education on agoraphobia through reading or consulting others who nay have experience with agoraphobia is a good idea. In getting a good education on agoraphobia you will probably be able to learn and use anxiety management techniques to keep the symptoms at bay and function in your normal life.

However, if you are showing signs of severe avoidance behavior that is disrupting your life (like missing work or school) you probably need to find a good individual therapist to guide you or get involved in group therapy.