ABSTRACT
The concept of agoraphobia, the prototypical modern neurosis because it is so common and because its features contain the essence of neurotic behaviour, has been criticized in the past few years and, in a sense, demoted. For over 30 years, agoraphobia was regarded as the prototype and theories of neurosis that were unable to provide a plausible explanation of agoraphobia attracted little interest. The main features of agoraphobia are a fear and avoidance of public places and of travelling, especially in public transport. These features sometimes are associated with a fear of being alone, even at home. Affected people report that they are frightened of passing out, having a heart attack, being trapped, losing control, or undergoing some other distressing event. They describe unpleasant bodily sensations in anticipation of and during excursions from safety, which is in most cases their own home. In serious cases the person is immobilized unless accompanied by some trusted companion, and even then their mobility is constricted. A severely affected patient described his state in these words: `` Everything outside my front door is Vietnam.''
