Will agoraphobia become more prevalent?

[spirdygirdy]

This past week I've been checking in with my parents and in laws via phone etc and despite the government advice that they know they can go for a walk daily, they won't. They are too scared. Scared that they will catch corona, scared they will too near someone and get told off, scared they will do something wrong or something will happen to them. They feel 'safe' at home and don't want to leave. I still go to work but I recognise these feelings when I'm home and with my close family. I could go for a walk...but I won't.
While this is good now for disease spreading, I wonder if months of it will mean more people will have agoraphobia when the doors are open again? Home is safe, outside world is not.

I would hope for the majority of people once the situation changes and outside is objectively "safe" again those feelings will naturally fade away. Not immediately but in the weeks and months afterwards.

Some people may struggle longer term or it may become a bigger issue, but sadly it's always the case that some people end up with more suffering.

At the moment you and they and we are scared because of an active "threat". It's natural to have those feelings and reactions, not disordered. Once the threat reduces the feelings should change. I expect we'll all adjust differently at that point.

The brain learns threats very quickly and is a fair bit slower to relearn that something is now safe (erring on the side of caution to protect us!), so it might need reassurance and repetition of going out several times before it sinks in that things are ok, but I think it will resolve for most people.

I am a recovered agoraphobic but this situation is extremely triggering for me. I think the key for people like me who have been on a long and difficult road to recovery is to continue to get out and do the absolute maximum that is allowed. Once the measures are lifted, we must continue to go out to the max. Otherwise a relapse is just far too close for comfort

DH is a recovering agoraphobic, he is really worried about the prospect of full lockdown which seems increasingly likely. If he can't get out at least every 2nd day for a couple of hours, minimum (preferably every day) he gets extremely depressed, grumpy, stops eating or talking much. Just sort of hides away in bed with the curtains closed. If he can get out, he's fine & you'd never know.

Yes. I haven't left the house in over a week . Im not massively scared of leaving the house but right now I'd just rather not for all the reasons you mentioned op. I think as time goes on I will become more reluctant to leave .
I also think cases of OCD cleaning will rocket