European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Objective: Agoraphobia is generally been defined as a fear of appearing in public places, particularly the places which are too empty or too crowded. In many situations this anxiety leads these people to avoid certain situation or requires a accompany when he travelling outside the home or staying alone in home. Agoraphobia can be observed in any gender of any age group. Methods: Patients with neurological illness who came to the outpatient department and inpatients from Saveetha Medical College and Hospital were included in the study, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All the patients were explained about the study and their informed consent was obtained. The study was approved by the Institutional Ethical committee. The participants were given the Agoraphobia Scale (AS) and their responses were documented by the therapist. The outcome measure was statistically analysed. Findings: The interpretations of Agoraphobic Scale (AS) reveals that there is an increased incidence of agoraphobia among the age group 38 to 48 years. It is also observed that female neurologically ill patients have increased incidence of agoraphobia compared to male neurologically ill patients. Incidence of agoraphobia in male neurologically ill patients is noted between 48 to 58 years. Conclusion: It is concluded that agoraphobia is prevalent in neurologically ill patients during covid-19 pandemic affecting their psycho-social behaviour and their ability.