Japan issues its first national panic-disorder guideline
Published in September 2025, the guideline gives Japan a new national reference point for panic-disorder care and addresses agoraphobic avoidance within that treatment framework.
What do we know about agoraphobia around the world?
An interactive research atlas exploring how agoraphobia is understood, researched, discussed, and treated across different parts of the world.
The Global Research Atlas
Explore what we know, where we know it.
Each active location opens a curated research profile built from published research, clinical guidance, health authorities, and other verifiable sources. Locations are added as enough credible material is gathered to begin a profile.
3 ACTIVE LOCATIONSThis is just the start. More locations are added as credible research is gathered.
WHAT WE TRACK
Research points appear only after enough credible material has been curated to begin a location profile.
What we track
We track the following five areas of research across each location.
Terminology & LanguageHow agoraphobia is named, described, and distinguished from related concepts.
Research & FindingsWhat location-specific studies have found, including documented gaps.
Culture & ContextEvidence-based local context that helps make sense of the research.
Care & TreatmentClinical guidance, treatment pathways, access, and documented barriers.
Emerging TrendsNewer research, policy, services, and signals that may indicate change.
About this project
A global view of a condition that is not documented equally everywhere.
This atlas began with questions about what it means to live with agoraphobia in different parts of the world. It has evolved into a research project that explores how agoraphobia is understood, studied, discussed, and treated in different parts of the world, including where gaps in our knowledge still exist.
Sources & methodology
Each location is built from credible sources such as peer-reviewed research, government and health information, clinical guidance, and population data. We also show where the evidence is limited or still developing.
01
What counts as evidence
Every finding needs at least one identifiable, checkable source before it appears on a profile: a peer-reviewed study, a government or health-authority publication, or established clinical guidance. General reporting or commentary can provide context but is not treated as evidence for a factual claim on its own.
02
What gets excluded, and why
Culturally specific terms and conditions, such as hikikomori or "cave syndrome," are described when relevant, but never presented as a local equivalent of agoraphobia unless a cited source explicitly draws that equivalence. The atlas would rather leave a comparison out than imply one that isn't supported.
03
How an evidence gap gets labeled
When a documented search for supporting evidence on a specific claim turns up nothing, that claim is either left out or shown explicitly as a gap. It is never filled in with a plausible-sounding assumption. A gap finding on this atlas means "we looked and didn't find it," not "we didn't check."
04
How a new location gets added
A location is added once enough verifiable material exists to populate its research modules, terminology, findings, cultural context, care and treatment, emerging signals, and a historical timeline, not before. That's why the atlas currently shows two active locations rather than a full map of markers with thin or placeholder content.
05
How corrections happen
Every profile has a "Suggest a source or update" link that opens a pre-addressed email. Flagged claims are reviewed against their source, and are corrected or removed rather than silently edited around. This is a manual, human review process, not an automated pipeline.
Signals we’re watching
Research, clinical guidance, and other developments from around the world that may change how agoraphobia is understood or treated.
Virtual-reality exposure research continues to expand
Recent reviews and a 2025 pilot randomized trial point to growing research around virtual-reality exposure approaches for panic disorder and agoraphobia. The evidence is still developing, so this is being watched as an emerging treatment signal rather than established first-line guidance.
Telemedicine prescribing flexibilities extend through 2026
Federal telemedicine prescribing flexibilities remain in effect through 2026. The change is not specific to agoraphobia, but it may affect how some people access psychiatric care remotely and is worth tracking as the policy continues to evolve.
Signals are developments we are following as the evidence evolves. They are not automatically treated as established findings in the atlas.
About Nick
I created the Agoraphobia Atlas to help others, including myself, better understand agoraphobia on a global scale. I also write Living With Agoraphobia, where I share personal experiences about everyday life with anxiety and agoraphobia.
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