Agoraphobia is commonly misunderstood as a fear of open spaces, but clinically it refers to anxiety about and avoidance of situations in which escape might be difficult or help unavailable if panic occurs. Crowded places, public transportation, bridges, tunnels, being far from home, and being alone are among the most common avoided situations for agoraphobic patients. The avoidance begins as a rational-seeming protective response to panic, but it tends to expand over time as more and more situations become associated with the possibility of panic, gradually narrowing the patient's life in ways that can eventually become severely restricting.
Patients in Boca Raton dealing with agoraphobic avoidance alongside panic disorder often present having delayed seeking help precisely because the avoidance has made it harder to get to a clinic, to commit to regular appointments, or to engage with a treatment that will eventually require confronting avoided situations. Dr. Steinbok's offering of remote sessions alongside in-person appointments at his Boca Raton practice makes it possible for patients with significant agoraphobic restriction to begin treatment from where they are and to build toward greater flexibility as the work progresses. The avoidance is addressed as part of the treatment rather than as a precondition for starting it.
