Your Result: Moderate Agoraphobia
Your responses indicate Moderate Agoraphobia. This means that anxiety has moved from being a "nuisance" to a barrier. You likely endure certain situations (like supermarkets or public transit) with significant distress, or you may require a "safe person" to help you get through them.
You are likely living in a state of negotiation—constantly calculating the "cost" of leaving your safe zone against the necessity of the task.
"You are not your anxiety. You are the person experiencing the anxiety."
Typical behaviors
- The "White Knuckle" Effect: You go to places, but you endure them with high tension, counting the minutes until you can leave.
- The Safe Person: You feel significantly more confident when accompanied by a partner or friend.
- Selective Avoidance: You have specific "no-go" zones (e.g., "I will drive, but no highways" or "I will shop, but only at off-peak hours").
Strengths in this pattern
- Adaptive Creativity: You have likely developed clever workarounds to keep functioning despite the fear.
- Perseverance: The fact that you are still engaging with these difficult situations shows immense willpower.
Common pitfalls
The trap of "Safety Behaviors"
You might be relying on crutches that actually keep the fear alive:
- Carrying a water bottle or medication "just in case."
- Constantly checking your phone to feel connected to safety.
- The Cost: These habits confirm to your brain that the situation is dangerous and that you only survived because of your safety crutch.
Reflection point: "If I didn't have my phone/water/safe person, what is the catastrophe I am afraid would happen?"
What you can do next
Small actions you can start today
- Drop one crutch: Try going to a nearby store without your usual "safety object" (or safe person).
- Wait 10 minutes: When the urge to flee a situation hits, wait 10 minutes before leaving. Watch the anxiety peak and then naturally fall.
Longer-term directions
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This is the gold standard for agoraphobia. It helps you systematically retrain your brain's alarm system.
- Gradual Exposure: Create a "ladder" of feared situations, from least to most scary, and climb it one step at a time.
Disclaimer and when to seek help
This test describes patterns of behavior and is not a medical diagnosis. Agoraphobia is a treatable condition. Since your symptoms are interfering with your daily life, we strongly recommend consulting a psychologist or therapist who specializes in anxiety disorders.