AGORAPHOBIA

Abstract

Agoraphobia, characterized as fear of going into public places, vehicles, shops, streets, and so forth, is a prevalent syndrome which permeates the patient's life. The efficacy of psychoanalytic, behavioral, and pharmacological treatments has been disappointing. The pervasive nature of agoraphobia dictates that its treatment is most efficacious when a combination of separate although interactive techniques is applied in concert. A multimodal behavioral conceptualization provides the vehicle for the systematic combined application of seemingly diverse individual approaches through monitoring and treating the BASIC ID, an acronym for behavior, affect, sensation, imagery, cognition, interpersonal relationships, and drugs. In an illustrative case, application of the multimodal behavioral conceptualization was instrumental in bringing relief to an agoraphobic patient's distress and disabilities.