Written by The anxiety disorder Agoraphobia can cause the external world to appear terrifying. People suffering from Agoraphobia experience fear of places that are harmless because of things that may have occurred there. Since it is regarded as a panic disorder, the only thought that people with this phobia have is to find ways to avoid getting into an unpleasant situation from which they are unable to escape. If you know any person afflicted with Agoraphobia do not force them to go to the places which they fear until they can control their fear and allow their consent.
The intricacies of Agoraphobia results from it being linked to various anxiety disorders and as a result, leads to disruption in daily life activities. An individual existing with such an irrational fear psychosis is considerably disturbed by their surroundings. This disorder can exhibit any of the following phobias:
- Fear of crowded spaces
- Feeling afraid of remaining alone in a given situation
- Being afraid of unknown places
- Fear of staying in spaces that do not have adequate escape routes
- Anxious about leaving the house
- Relying heavily on others
There is no specific way to explain what a person who lives with Agoraphobia feels exactly. While certain individuals gripped with this disorder may find it difficult to stay inside public parks, the rest may find it very distressing to step out of their homes. The effects vary from person to person.
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Why does Agoraphobia develop?
The tendency of Agoraphobia grows during adolescence and some people may evolve this disorder at a later middle age including women who are recently divorced or widowed and also people facing low-income issues. It is also not unusual for people who have faced a turbulent and stressful event to experience symptoms associated with Agoraphobia.
Such stressful circumstances can range from personal abuse, the passing of near and dear ones, or being a victim of a physical assault or an attack. In some cases, hereditary factors also intervene like being close kin of a person having Agoraphobia also places a person at risk for developing such anxiety disorders.
Though on its own, Agoraphobia denotes an anxiety disturbance, it is generally a byproduct of a singular or various different anxiety disorders. Similar to other disorders like panic or social anxiety disorders, it can produce a consequential influence on your life quality from social confinement to problems in upkeeping one’s physical and psychological well-being. The outcome of this disorder can be overwhelming if it afflicts you severely so much so, that it is restricting you from moving out of your house.
Symptoms Linked With Agoraphobia
Although Agoraphobia is a separate and individual disorder, it can replicate symptoms generally connected with anxiety afflictions. In reality, Agoraphobia can activate and create an onset of anxiety when an individual faces an uncomfortable or hostile environment and condition. Such bouts of anxiety can be moderate or severe, while in certain cases can become debilitating and curb a person from going out of their house and face the world.
Here are some of the Agoraphobia symptoms that normally exists:
| Brisk Heartbeat | Experiencing helplessness | Feeling an urge to escape | Severe tremors |
| Sweating | Desire to vomit | Afraid of death | Stomach upset |
| Lightheadedness or dizziness | Inadequacy in breathing | Hyperventilation | Pain in the chest |
| Vertigo |
Though resembling at times social phobia, but agoraphobia differs in that it is not simply restricted to fear of social factors. Agoraphobia delves into deeper domains and can make you experience a sense of impending risk or danger and even panic when countered with no definite escape. Its symptoms can also manifest when you are overwhelmed by a sense of dread in commuting by train or boarding a plane.
What Is CBD?
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a chemical compound found in cannabis, often known as marijuana. CBD is marijuana’s second most common component, after delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Marijuana has approximately 400 distinct active ingredients, with THC and CBD being only two of the 60 cannabinoid compounds.
Cannabidiol may be extracted from either the hemp or cannabis plant. When produced from marijuana plants, it includes THC, but hemp-derived cannabidiol has just trace quantities of the psychotropic ingredient.
Types of Cannabinoids
Cannabidiol is accessible in a variety of forms and may be found in a wide range of goods. There are three major kinds of cannabidiol available:
- Full-spectrum: This implies that the product contains other chemicals present in the cannabis plant, such as varying levels of THC.
- Broad-spectrum: This kind contains various cannabis-related chemicals but does not contain THC.
- Isolate includes solely cannabidiol and no other cannabis components.
How CBD works?
CBD directly interacts with a few proteins in the body and central nervous system, a couple of which are parts of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). CBD has an affinity for both the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors. Our bodies have a few other receptor proteins that participate in the endocannabinoid system, like GPR3, GPR6, TRPV1, and TRPV2. CBD binds to all these receptors, and its possible anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects may occur through these pathways.
CBD has some other vital jobs outside the ECS. For example, CBD gently activates one of the brain’s predominant serotonin receptors (5-HT1A) in mice, which may explain its supposed effects on depression and anxiety. It likewise acts at the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in mice, which may show its usefulness in fighting irritation. CBD changes the shape of CB1 receptors, thereby preventing THC from directly binding to it. This is why the usage of balanced strains of cannabis leads to reduced levels of anxiety and paranoia.
Can CBD Bring A Turning Point In Agoraphobia?
The phytocannabinoid CBD is an effective natural remedy that can alter the way a person responds to stimuli that produce anxiety. Findings have supported the anxiolytic or anxiety-relieving properties of CBD which can regulate defensive behaviors resulting from threatening stimuli. It can be useful in reducing the dislike or discomfort towards stressful conditions and diminishes the sense of panic. Given below are the different health benefits of CBD:
CBD Modulates Your Endocannabinoid System
By regulating the endocannabinoid mechanism CBD stimulates the receptors within its neural pathways. In fact, CBD has been useful in dealing with depression and anxiety, autoimmune and gastrointestinal ailments besides a host of others due to its relationship with the neural circuit of our endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid setup extends across your whole body and covers the brain, muscles, immune system, digestive process as well as skin. Its crucial function is to maintain homeostasis that keeps our body in equilibrium and regulate. If our bodies lacked control, chaos would prevail and we would be experiencing psychotic breakdowns or running high fevers or frequent pain all across our body, our skin would have never known how to regenerate its cells, and much more that is beyond explanation. We, in fact, require our endocannabinoid system to survive, maintain our body process and carry on a comfortable existence.
CBD Can Control Your Fear Response
Cannabidiol has been found to improve and regulate your response towards fear through the endocannabinoid mechanism. Such fear response is responsible for activating panic attacks. CBD has the potential to lower the action of the part of the brain known as the amygdala, which generates the ‘fight or flight response’ which causes panic. Moreover, it also regulates the insular cortex which remains hyperactive in patients suffering from anxiety. In fact, panic disorder sufferers reveal a striking down-regulation of the receptors known as GABA inside the right side of the insular cortex.
By lowering your anxiety levels, you can have better control over your phobias that secludes you from outside contact. CBD assists in making you less anxious and reduces the overactivity inside your brain.
CBD Also Works On The Serotonin Pathways
CBD oil has exhibited the potential to ease anxiety through its action upon the serotonin passages inside your brain. This indicates that your nerve cells inside the brain can transmit messages in an improved manner to one another and thus uplifts your mood and lower your anxiety symptoms.
A particular finding by Spanish researchers arrived at the conclusion that CBD can influence serotonin receptors faster compared to the conventional antidepressant drugs that are prescribed like SSRIs.
CBD Oil Review And Reactions From Users
Kimberly S. ( Full Spectrum CBD (750mg) in coconut oil)
Thoughtcloud has changed my life! I have been dealing with extreme overwhelm, stress, nervous breakdowns with suicidal thoughts, and a severe phobia. I have been seeing therapists, eating healthfully, taking supplements, and trying various forms of relaxation and I was beginning to think that I was beyond help. Life was very, very, depressing for me. Enter Thoughtcloud 1,500mg CBD oil! After just a week of working myself up to 10 drops 3 times a day, I am a changed person! Even though my stressful situations remain I am largely calm and level-headed. It doesn’t feel like the world is ending when things happen, I have found joy in living again, and my phobia has even diminished greatly. It’s hard to explain the severity of what I was going through and how profoundly changed I am via comments but you’ll just have to trust me when I say it’s truly a miracle! Thoughtcloud may have quite literally saved my life.
After seeing my results, I also bought a 750mg bottle for my daughter who suffers from constant stress and anxiety and I have seen a great difference in her ability to handle the buildup of stress and be more “at ease” in her daily life. (sic.) Hemp CBD Oil This really works. I actually felt calm. I was less anxious and more social. My social phobia was gone! It also helped my m.s. Because I was calm, my symptoms did not have a snowball effect and get worse as the day went on!
CBD and Anxiety: What Does The Research Say?
- CBD was found to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and discomfort during public speaking in individuals with social anxiety disorder in a 2011 research.
Another study published in 2011 discovered that CBD eliminated the negative effects of anxiety in patients suffering from a social anxiety disorder. - A 2015 meta-analysis of 49 studies discovered evidence that CBD may assist with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- According to 2019 research, 91 percent of 11 individuals with PTSD had reduced symptoms after ingesting CBD.
- In a 2019 study, CBD was utilized to help patients suffering from different anxiety issues and sleep problems such as sleep deprivation, and many more. Almost 80% of participants reported decreased anxiety and almost 70% reported an improvement in sleep quality in the first month, although the findings for sleep changed with time. Lack of sleep can lead to high blood pressure heart attack, diabetes, and several other health issues.
- A 2017 research found no indication that CBD reduced anxiety or paranoia, and in some cases, it exacerbated anxiety.
Does CBD Get You High?
CBD and THC are both mood-altering chemicals with substantial medicinal advantages such as pain and nausea relief, inflammation reduction, and the treatment of various epileptic disorders. Despite the fact that both cannabinoids are psychotropic, only THC is intoxicating. THC creates real pleasure and changes perceptions of space and time, whereas CBD promotes restful sleep by increasing the hours of sleep and tranquility.
Final Thoughts On CBD For Agoraphobia
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