So what is agoraphobia? Well agoraphobia is classed as an anxiety disorder and is often started by the fear of having a panic attack or similar sensation in a setting from which there is no easy means of escape - like a feeling of being trapped. Most people would feel very uncomfortable at being locked in a tiny room but for sufferers of agoraphobia that intense feeling of discomfort can be felt in any situation whereby there seems no means of escape.

Sufferers will go to great lengths to avoid public and/or unfamiliar places, especially large, open, spaces where there are few 'places to hide'. I remember my grandmother having a friend who suffered with this and she was unable to go anywhere. She could walk down to the end of the pathway to her home but couldn't go through the gate at the end. As a child I thought it was crazy and that she was crazy! Now I'm older I realise that we all deal with anxiety in different ways and agoraphobia is an extreme form of anxiety.

I can understand to a certain degree how agoraphobics feel and how the feelings can spiral out of control. I have suffered with anxiety myself brought on by many years of irritable bowel syndrome. The fear of going out to eat was very real and the associated anxiety could have got worse and potentially developed into agoraphobia.

Fortunately I have dealt with my anxiety using a combination of relaxation, exercise and other natural techniques. No one should feel that they have to carry on the way they are - there is help available. Take that first step, get help and you'll be on your way to freedom.