Saturday, January 31, 2015

We’re all agoraphobics now

January 30
Michael Christie is the author of the novel "If I Fall, If I Die."

Agoraphobia, from the Greek agora for marketplace, today afflicts 3.2 million adult Americans, a number no doubt underestimated because agoraphobics are notoriously hard to count. Originally conceived as the fear of wide-open spaces, the condition once conjured Munch’s (an agoraphobic himself) “The Scream”: a weakened individual cowering in the frenetic modern city. This definition has since mutated. Today it’s understood as the end game of panic anxiety disorder, the fear of one’s own fear response — being driven mad by the inescapable thunder of a panic attack. Because of this fear, agoraphobics map out safe zones (their homes, usually) and retreat into private worlds, which can become prisons.

Darwin had it. Dido has it. Emily Dickinson and Kim Bassinger, too. It’s been called “Greta Garbo Syndrome” after the actress who holed up in her New York apartment for almost 50 years with only her famous declaration “I just want to be alone” to guard her door.

Lately I’ve been noticing how much harder it is to get people I know to leave their neighborhoods. To put down their phones. To read or watch or listen to things they don’t already know they’ll enjoy. It’s not just my sphere; Americans at large are more isolated than ever, and more anxious, across many disparate groups: children, soldiers, college students, women. We increasingly fear things we have no reasonable cause to fear. While the number of clinically diagnosable agoraphobics hasn’t increased, something that reeks of agoraphobia seems to be presenting itself all around me.
I know what it looks like. My mother’s agoraphobia began in her early 20s. It started after a panic attack while she was driving. First she stopped using highways; then she avoided left turns. After that came a gradual narrowing. Friends and hobbies that required outward ventures were scuttled. Her interests migrated indoors: reading, art, crafts, cooking. By the time I was about five, she didn’t leave our house if she could help it. At school, I’d hear about “vacations” from my classmates and had trouble parsing the idea. Forget airplanes or road trips — my mother couldn’t leave our neighborhood without risking seismic panic.

She died five years ago, but I see my mother in everyone lately. On Instagram, my friends’ gazes have turned inward: to their food, their dwellings, themselves. And who can blame them? Anxiety and fear are the defining emotions of this historical moment, whipping over the globe faster and freer than wind or electronic money.  A recent study confirms that the actual dangerousness of our lives is decreasing, but our fear of crime is steadily rising. It’s the Islamic State, Ebola, illegal immigrants, extreme weather events, IEDs, toxins, and terror. It courses through our networks and vaults from our screens to infect our defenseless heads. How afraid ought one be of bad neighborhoods or bee-slaughtering pesticides or Russian dirty bombs or slushy ice caps? Who could ever really hope to answer that question?

Reasonable concern is a scarce commodity in our hyperventilated Internet world. Anyone who’s stayed up watching the Dopplerized formation of another mega-superstorm that fizzled by morning, or who’s begun looking up a minor medical symptom and found themselves self-diagnosing a rare cancer after just 10 minutes of clicking knows what I mean. And unlike true agoraphobics, we enjoy the fear. Its seduction keeps us clicking and reading and watching. Americans express widespread fear of natural disasters, but few households actually have emergency kits.

What effect does this rising cultural fear bath have? We over-anticipate. Put on our headphones and close our personal borders, lest a stranger engage us in any way. We clutch our phones (which might be increasing our anxiety), read books we’re sure we’ll like, listen to voices with which we’re sure to agree, and sink into isolation as real as my mother’s, even if the root of it is different. Each day we wake up with the realm of safety whittled a little smaller, the borders of our own private domains drawn a little tighter. Outside is disease, bombs, inequality, crime, risk. Inside is warmth, screens, comfort, Amazon packages, plenty, health, safety.

Before her death, through therapy and small acts of daily bravery, my mother was able to hold a job and to drive again. After trips to the grocery store, she would relate enthusiastic stories about all the marvelous people and things she’d encountered. And I think we could all learn a little from her. No matter how isolated and fearful we become, we must stretch our boundaries. We must continue to value bravery and good faith, to aspire to be a people who would rather assume the essentially safety of the world and risk getting hurt, than to live our lives in cowering safety. We don’t have agoraphobia; we should stop acting like we do

Looking_in
1:13 PM EST

Anything to do with the "security" industry -- from police to the military to "law 'n order" politicians -- boosting their profits and job prospects by selling fear?
See More
thenagain
12:19 PM EST

I don't think that the behavior patterns described have anything to so with agoraphobia, which the author has trivialized offensively. The biggest obstacle I see to us wandering our communities, open to new acquaintances and experiences is that our public spaces are dominated by automobiles, which eliminate contact between people, aside from collisions. The careless to reckless way that people drive creates a hostile and dangerous environment for pedestrians, inducing vigilance and even anxiety.
See More
jhtlag1
3:09 PM EST

and take up a lot of space to boot.
See More
Phil Osophized
11:22 AM EST [Edited]

After surviving a near fatal Traumatic Brain Injury ('90) while in college, which left me comatose for 3+ weeks (no alcohol involved), I was robbed of the identity everyone knew; including myself. Still living at home in the burbs and going to school at the time of the car accident, two-years later I was holed-up and on my own in the heart of Houston's most popular area of town.

For the last 23-years, just knowing I'm within several miles of all the best of everything this city has to offer -- from grocery stores to restaurants to shopping malls -- should the need EVER arise is reassuring. Being but 6 miles from the largest medical center in the world where I did my TBI rehab at TIRR (Gabby Giffords) is also very cathartic. Thus, unless absolutely necessary, since I also work from home, except for stepping outside the condo door to check the mail and walking ~50 yards about 5AM every other week to the laundry room in the complex, I've long embraced agoraphobia as being a resolute curmudgeon.
See More
moxiemom
11:17 AM EST [Edited]

Boy he's making a leap. I like to go out and talk to folks, but sometimes I don't - hooray for the self check out line. Sometimes I like to talk to the other parents at the soccer game and sometimes they are total tools - hooray iPhone. Sometimes I like to go out to the movies and sometimes I'd like to pay $4.99 and rent one and cuddle on the sofa with my husband - hooray On Demand. I could go on and on. We have different choices now - that's all. Checking facebook during halftime doesn't qualify me for a DSM diagnosis, but it does let me keep in touch with my cousin in Alaska who is oftentimes way more interesting than Jason's mom who is certain he will be getting a scholarship.

I would also add that the irony is that for the true agoraphobe, they are able to be connected to the world in a greater way than ever before. They can find support and have interactions with people instead of just stuck locked in their house! How lovely is that? Sure it may not be face to face interaction but that doesn't mean it has no value. I do seem to recall the Lord Grantham was concerned about the impact of the wireless on family time on Downton Abbey. Its just change, it happens all the time.
See More
Quanta
9:45 AM EST

In many, many statements, the writer is conflating agoraphobia and desire for occasional privacy, the latter being perfectly normal. Perhaps he discovered this new big word and wanted to find a way to use it.
See More
Silverghost
9:40 AM EST

No we are NOT all agoraphobics - Dufus!
See More
N. Owl
1:37 AM EST [Edited]

I'm not agoraphobic, and certainly don't stay home out of fear of terrorists or muggers, but I am aware of my "world" getting smaller lately. In the various places I've lived, I've always loved exploring different areas. Unfortunately, with the exception of downtowns, most of the country now has the same few businesses. What's the point of checking out a nearby community that has Starbucks, burger doodle, Home Depot, etc., just like home. I don't need to go to movies and put up with talkers, crunchers and cell phone users; I have Netflix. I've broken my dining-out addiction due to the fact that the restaurants nearest to me are chains serving over-salted food that aren't much better than a Banquet TV dinner. I've got more than enough "stuff," so, no need for recreational shopping. There are still reasons to venture out, just fewer. Some of this may have to do with getting older...
See More
limpscomb
7:05 AM EST

I think getting older might have something to do with it for many of us. Also, I have found that having a car, being able to go to places that I would normally encounter strangers and yet find some conversational contact makes a difference also.
I gave up my car two years ago due to poor eyesight. Now I ride the bus. Occasionally I will sit by someone who starts a conversation or meet someone I've ridden the bus with before. That helps with not feeling so isolated from other people.
When winter comes, I'm TRAPPED. Living in upper New England when it snows or becomes icy, even bus riding to do shopping is out. I don't dare risk falling. So I resort to the phone, Skype with family in other cities/states, shop through Amazon a lot, and, in general long desperately for good weather and other voices than my limited sphere.
See More
Skeptic1
1/30/2015 9:16 PM EST

You have a mental illness. But hardly anybody has it.
See More
YondCassius
1/30/2015 8:29 PM EST

Ergo, "We have nothing to fear but agoraphobia"??? ... Not even the V-2 rockets raining down on our heads?
See More
RossEmery
1/30/2015 8:22 PM EST

"Before her death, through therapy and small acts of daily bravery, my mother was able to hold a job and to drive again. After trips to the grocery store, she would relate enthusiastic stories about all the marvelous people and things she’d encountered."

Did she have many conversations along the way? Conversations are the threads of social fabric. Some conversations have migrated to the Internet, but others have been lost, probably forever.
See More
YondCassius
1/30/2015 8:17 PM EST

Greta famously denied she ever said that. What she said, she said, was, "I want to be left alone". (i.e., not pestered.
See More
SuzieTampa
1/30/2015 7:46 PM EST

I was agoraphobic as an undergraduate and wrote my master's thesis on it 20 years later. I'm not sure this analogy works. As the author notes early on, agoraphobia is really the fear of fear, a fear of being unable to control physical responses during a panic attack. Agoraphobics often understand that their fears are irrational.

Are we really more fearful than we were, let's say, during the Cold War? Were people more likely to travel outside their neighborhoods? I think many people stay in their homes or neighborhoods because it's more convenient and comfortable these days.
See More
capefear1
1/30/2015 7:11 PM EST

The good times are over. Who is the author kidding?
See More
oldnick
1/30/2015 5:54 PM EST

Can't help but wonder about the impact of the press in all this. How many events are overstated in the lead--in just to attract the readers attention? Why are things that may impact a small segment of the population stated in such climactic claims of imminent danger? Why is the vast majority of news - bad ? There are wonderful places, events, and good people out there. If they got more press and exposure, could that reverse the problem or at least ease the suffering.
See More
mc-squared
1/30/2015 12:13 PM EST

Heck. I make a life threatening choice every day. I commute via METRO.

Seriously though-- I'm more likely to slip on my icy back steps and crack my head than I am to be killed by an emissary of the "religion of peace" or to contract Ebola.

Live life, don't fear it.
See More
vmax02rider_former
1/30/2015 11:55 AM EST

part of the problem is that entertainment has been privatized. where we used to have cultural amenities, such as green parks and open concerts, we now have theme parks and big ticket concerts. our culture has been hijacked by profit obsessed corporations. to engage socially now implies a major expenditure and the feeling of being fleeced.
See More
maryland refugee
1/30/2015 2:25 PM EST

Green parks, forest lands, open spaces... they are out there, and there is plenty of it. I'm in one every weekend. They are just not in the middle of sprawling metropolises. Move west!
See More
K.L.O.
1/30/2015 11:10 AM EST

"A recent study confirms that the actual dangerousness of our lives is decreasing, but our fear of crime is steadily rising. It’s the Islamic State, Ebola, illegal immigrants, extreme weather events, IEDs, toxins, and terror. "

You're comparing illegal immigrants to ISIS and Ebola? That's pretty hateful.
See More
sgk1150
1/30/2015 11:22 AM EST

I think you misunderstood the author.
See More
edwardatvienna
1/30/2015 11:09 AM EST

Get out!! Get out often - every day!! Talk to your neighbors, the clerks at Home Depot and Walmart, walk you dog and greet others with their dog. Read news reports that you are not likely to agree with (this is the premise to know your "enemy"). Think critically, doubt and analyze every you hear and read. Understand your world. For our country to thrive, we need informed citizens. Be one. Knowledge is a sure way to overcome anxiety.
See More
outragex
1/30/2015 10:57 AM EST

Three points:
Toffler, in Future Shock, pointed out that fast-paced change of technology and culture produces anxiety. We've certainly got that, and a weak economy for most workers to boot.

I think the pervasiveness of media and political fear mongering is a big part of it. One party (Republicans) and their media allies are masters of this game-sharia law, mosques, gay marriage, child refugees, ebola, ISIS beheadings, are just a few of their recent themes.

Finally, I think for many of us middle age is the best antidote to anxiety. We've seen enough threats grow and recede in our consciousness that we can keep the new ones in perspective. No matter how bad things are today we don't fear nuclear extinction as we did in my youth.
See More
gentlysmilingjaws
1/30/2015 10:42 AM EST

Not sure if I agree with your premise but very glad to learn of your mother's progress. I have a loved one who struggles with agoraphobia and it's exhausting and heartbreaking. Progress is being made but it's definitely a process of baby steps.
See More
jwnova
1/30/2015 10:29 AM EST

The pet ownership increase is another sign of people disengaging from society.
See More
fumtu
1/30/2015 10:18 AM EST

Baloney. Stop projecting your mother onto society.
See More
1821
1/30/2015 10:08 AM EST

At the time of Garbo's death, her obit on NPR made clear that she told nosy reporters, "I want to be left alone," not "I want to be alone." Two different things.
See More
animalfarm
1/30/2015 9:48 AM EST

Thank you for this article. It is the constant need to know and the the 24-hour availability of info that brings on feelings of helplessness. I liked not knowing what I didn't know.
See More
n1176m
1/30/2015 9:36 AM EST

Very good article. Reminded me of my concerns of my mother and father in their later years. They were small business owners, but during the time of their working lives and where they lived, there were no other options available to them. When they retired, they could easily restrict their lives to just those areas they felt comfortable.

Good to hear your mother made the choice to overcome her fears.
See More
Thrush
1/30/2015 9:35 AM EST

It's not fear, it's POWERLESSNESS. I worry a lot about the environment. And every day I see my fears confirmed, another woodland cut down, another clump of bushes on my workplace "campus" removed (because they are brushy), another bad report on an endangered species. I worry about the overall economic situation, which I see gradually worsening for the majority of Americans, and I think "how can I cut back." I see the complexity of a trip into the city - the crowds, the unnecessary expense, the ridiculous expense - and I don't go. I see the horrible political situation - and, yes, I do blame Republicans, but for the sake of this argument it could go either way - and I don't want to listen to any more radio analysis (god forbid the television cable channels). I worry about climate change, while believing it is too late. Less welt-anschuungishly, the last few movies I've been to have not been worth the money; the food I make at home is better than what I can buy at a restaurant, and every outward trip seems to cost money I am trying to save for the retirement I am told I should be saving more for. Yes, I do get out there and meet friends and go hiking, but the pleasures are no longer so unalloyed. I think you are downplaying the overload that we all stumble under these days. (Just today read of a new kind of insurance I *should* be buying, SOS emergency locator insurance, if I travel internationally. Sick of the complexity.
See More
n1176m
1/30/2015 9:40 AM EST [Edited]

I understand and at times think Edward Ludd was right to eschew the industrial age. But I also believe in what Dag Hammarskjold said, "What's the meaning of life? Live life and the question becomes meaningless."
See More
Thrush
1/30/2015 9:54 AM EST

I just think the author set up a straw man argument that premises that our anxieties and fears have little foundation and can be cast aside without any consequences. I was just scolded by a number of people for making a big household expenditure without doing even more research; I was just informed that, really, to get the best price on an airline ticket I need to register myself with several additional watch sites, plus spend some more time researching some unorthodox strategies. I am pretty sure that my current home energy provider is no longer competitive, and I *should* be researching alternatives (the same goes for my mobile phone provider). Should, should, should. But if you don't heed the shoulds, then you are shedding money that you can't spare. I think the author is oblivious to these sorts of pressures most of us are trying to bear.
See More
N. Owl
1:07 AM EST

You've made excellent points, Thrush. Regarding restaurants: In most of the country, the low to moderately places are pretty lousy, i.e. chains. I'm a reformed dining-out addict, since realizing that, as you said, I can cook better food at home with minimal effort.
See More

No comments: