A Visual Explainer of Agoraphobia (Illustrated According to the DSM)
Agoraphobia, like OCD, is often very misunderstood in pop culture. Although the name of this disorder has entered common language- most people tend to refer to it loosely, only vaguely knowing what the disorder actually is and occasionally misusing the term.
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Using the right language matters – especially when it comes to mental health disorders.
Why the way we talk about a disorder matters:
For these reasons, knowing the basics about agoraphobia and other common disorders is an issue of equity and accessibility, even for people who aren’t mental health care providers or patients.
How We Define Mental Illnesses Like Agoraphobia
Mental health professionals use a text called the DSM* to define mental illnesses. Pop culture definitions of mental illnesses, however, are often very different from these clinical definitions.
(*Technically, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Version 5-TR – which is short for 5th edition, with a text revision in 2022)
This illustration breaks down what agoraphobia really is, according to the DSM. Through visual language, it explains the actual definition of agoraphobia- and it might surprise you!
Here’s the spoiler: agoraphobia isn’t a fear of leaving home. Instead, it’s an intense fear of being unable to escape or get help if panic, illness, or embarrassment happens—especially in public spaces.1
In this sketchnote, the frame is structured like a stone archway, a nod to the Greek roots of the word “agora,” meaning marketplace.
How Agoraphobia is Diagnosed
Mental health care providers don’t base their diagnosis off of gut instinct or even something as concrete as blood tests. Instead, disorders like agoraphobia are diagnosed through something called “Diagnostic Criteria”. If someone fits the criteria, they qualify for the diagnosis, if they don’t meet the criteria, they shouldn’t be diagnosed with the disorder.
The diagnostic criteria for agoraphobic disorder include:
- A person must experience intense fear in two or more of these situations: public transit, open spaces, enclosed spaces, lines or crowds, or being alone in public. (essentially, someplace other than home. Home is generally a safe, low anxiety place for people with this disorder)
- Their fear or anxiety is about not being able to escape, exit, or access help if they panic or experience another type of crisis.
- The anxiety or fear response is a consistent response to these situations (rather than, for example, an experience a person had one time but doesn’t experience regularly)
- The anxiety causes a person to avoid those situations, rely on a companion, or experience significant distress
- The fear feels huge compared to the actual risk
- The cycle of fear and avoidance is ongoing (often, 6 months is used as a minimum for diagnosis, however care is available sooner)
- When fear, anxiety, or avoidance starts to take over and gets in the way of living—like showing up at work, maintaining relationships, or doing everyday stuff,
- Exception: If there’s another health issue going on (like a medical diagnosis that could justify intense worry, or a different mental health diagnosis that better explains symptoms) an agoraphobia diagnosis may not fit.
In my sketchnote, common treatment options for agoraphobia are introduced: CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) may help reduce fear and avoidance, and exposure therapy can help retrain fear responses over time. Medications like SSRIs or short-term anti-anxiety medications may also support healing.
At the bottom of my illustrated note, a few facts are included: about 1.7% of people will experience agoraphobia in their lifetime2 , and it most often starts in the late teens or early twenties. (Adolescence is a time when many mental health disorders are diagnosed) The condition was named in 1871, with roots in Greek meaning “fear of the marketplace.”
I hope this simple illustration I drew helps correct a common misconception: Agoraphobia isn’t about being afraid of “going out,” it’s about fearing being trapped without a way to cope. By breaking it down visually and remaining true to the DSM diagnostic criteria therapists and psychiatrists, use, I hope this sketchnote offers clarity, reduces stigma, and encourages compassionate understanding.
Download a PDF of This Sketchnote
My DSM-Doodles Series
This doodle is part of a growing series where I visually unpack DSM diagnoses. Not intended to replace clinical texts, I hope my illustrations offer a more accessible entry point. No one should have to wade through thick clinical texts to learn how to understand the categories of challenges other humans deal with- so I’m working to create resources that are both 1. accessible to any ordinary reader, and 2. correctly summarize key information, so that clinicians and especially counseling students studying for the CPCE and the NCE can have quick reference guides to review.
Each of my DSM one-page explainers is hand-drawn to review core diagnostic criteria into something that feels clear, approachable, and a little less intimidating than a page of clinical jargon.
If seeing mental health concepts in this format helps things click for you (or helps you explain them to others), let me know- or follow my Patreon for access to my portfolio of psychology education art.
Image Description for Screen Readers:
Beige background with brown text written within a light brown arch. The title reads, “Agoraphobia, according to the DSM.” Below this is more text, which reads left to right: “Agoraphobia actually is not a fear of leaving home. It’s a fear of feeling trapped in a public place.” There is a doodle of a door with a cross-out sign on top of it. “For diagnosis, two or more of the following fears are present: public transit, open spaces, enclosed spaces, lines or crowds, or being alone in public.” Correlating doodles of a plane, a tree and a field, a line of doodle people, and a person who is visibly distressed accompany the text. Next to this is a bracket leading to simplified information: “Specifically, the fear centers on not being able to escape or get help if panic, embarrassment or illness strike.” On a gold banner reads, “Diagnostic Criteria.” Below is written: “1. Engaging fears causes anxiety. 2. Symptoms cause avoidance, distress, or require companion assistance. 3. The fear is really big, relative to risk. 4. Causes distress and disruption. 5. Isn’t caused by another disorder.” Written on a gold banner is the word “Treatment.” Below is written, “CBT- may reduce fear and avoidance. Exposure therapy – can retrain fear response. Medication – SSRI’s, SNRI’s, and sometime short-term benzodiazepines. Facts: about 1.7% of people will experience agoraphobia. Onset: usually late teens or 20’s. Named in 1871. The name means: ‘fear of marketplace’ in Greek.” Next to the word Greek is a doodle of a column. This information was visually translated by Lindsay Braman.
- National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Agoraphobia. In Statistics. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/agoraphobia [↩]
- Hackmann, A. (2007). Agoraphobia: Clinical features and treatment strategies. Psychiatry, 6(5), 47–50. https://doi.org/10.1383/psyt.3.5.47.33966 [↩]
