Agoraphobic people have the fear of being away from the safety of their own home. Crowded places such as large shops; busy streets; travel, etc. frighten people because they are scared of losing control, panicking and making a fool of themselves.

Because of this fear, it is easier to avoid situations which make the anxious person more anxious.

Agoraphobia is not a serious mental illness. Once a panic reaction is experienced conditioning can occur when the person has learned to react to panic when faced with the recurring situation.

Panic Attacks

Panic may be an ailment in its own right, coming out-of-the-blue for no apparent reason and when least expected, or be part of a larger problem accompanied by a phobia or obsessive compulsive disorder.

When the anxiety and panic is in isolation from other problems sufferers may feel very well one minute and then without warning feel utter terror and the feeling that they are going to die because they can't breathe, etc.

Because panic can occur without warning it is very difficult to produce a specific recovery programme but it is possible to reduce the level of anxiety by muscle relaxation exercises and other techniques such as controlled breathing.

Social Phobias

People who suffer from a social phobia often fear being the centre of attention or behaving in a humilitating way whilst in company.

This very rarely happens, but sufferers tend to avoid social occasions such as eating out in restaurants: weddings: family gatherings: visitors to the house: night clubs: staff rooms at work: parties: public houses; - anywhere where people have to interact with others in communication skills, either verbally or body language.

Facing The Fear

Breaking down a large insurmountable problem into more manageable goals a person is able to gradually return to a situation they had been avoiding for a long time.

WASP helps sufferers with cognitive therapy concentrating on changing thought patterns and outlook from negative to positive.

Social outings are organised, specifically tailored to help members overcome their individual problems.