What is Agoraphobia?

Cathleen Henning, About's Guide to Panic / Anxiety Disorders has written an excellent introduction to agoraphobia. Because of its literal definition ("fear of the marketplace"), agoraphobia is often misunderstood as a fear of crowds or a fear of open spaces. The clinical definition of agoraphobia is a fear of situations or places "from which escape might be difficult (or embarrassing) or in which help may not be available in the event" of a panic attack (DSM-IV).

Read more about it in Cathleen's article.